Journal & Book Data to Collect
Citation Analysis of Your Own Publications
Essentially, how many times your article has been cited, and by whom and what journal (a.k.a. Bibliometrics).
Occasionally, book and book chapters will be tracked like this -- but it is rare.
For an in-depth definition of this, please see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citation_analysis .
Impact Factor
Predominantly used to rank the significance of science and social science journals, impact factor is a ratio of cited articles to total number of articles published.
Again, this is not very relevant to book and book chapters.
For a more formal definition, including a detailed description of how it is calculated, please see:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_factor .
For alternative views, please see these articles critiquing impact factors:
Circulation
The number of distributed copies of a magazine, journal, or newspaper.
This number can be an indicator of how popular or influential a particular periodical is and should certainly be a factor to consider when preparing for tenure or annual review.
This term also refers to the number of times a book or item circulates in a library -- libraries can often provide this data anonymously, if it is requested.
Library Subscriptions & Holdings
The number of libraries that subscribe to a periodical can also be an indicator of how influential it is.
Libraries oftentimes implement a rigorous selection and retention process for periodicals -- owing to their increasing costs -- so the fact that a large number of libraries subscribes to a journal that you have published in is not insignificant.
The number of libraries that own a particular book is also a figure of note.
Amazon Sales Rankings
Amazon tracks sales rankings of books and certain journals and magazines.
This data is becoming increasingly important to publishers -- particularly when they are considering resigning an author or making an offer to a previously published author.
So these are numbers certainly worth noting in your tenure or annual review document.
For an explanation of Amazon Sales Rankings, please see: http://www.rampant-books.com/mgt_amazon_sales_rank.htm or http://www.fonerbooks.com/surfing.htm
Rejection Rate/Acceptance Rate
A ratio of articles submitted and not published to total submitted articles in a year (rejection rate) or a ratio of published articles to total submitted articles in a year (acceptance rate).
This is usually limited to periodicals that require some sort of peer-review process.
The more rigorous or competitive, and thus more respected, journals in a field will have high rejection rates or low acceptance rates.
Again, this concept is not really applicable to book or book chapters.
Starting Points
Citation Analysis of Your Own Publications
Web of Science can tell you how often an article has been cited by other articles within its universe of indexed items.
Limited scope: only indexes articles from 1972 to the present. If your publications predate 1972, contact your primary contact librarian , who can conduct a more detailed citation analysis on your behalf. Recommended Search: Author Finder: Click on the following link: Author Finder. Enter last name of author to be searched on, plus first and middle initials as appropriate, then click "Next."
Select author variant(s), as appropriate -- this is particularly important if the author has not always published under a standardized (i.e. the same) name format -- then click "Next."
Select subject category or categories, then click "Next."
Select institutional affiliation(s), then click "Finish Now." To find a "Times Cited" figure:
Use "Author Finder" or run a "Search," using either keyword, title, subject, or author information, to find an article(s).
Note the "Times Cited" statistic for the article(s) you are analyzing.
To see the articles citing your article, click on the title of the article of interest.
To view the citing articles, click on the link "View all x citing articles," located in the blue box on the right side of the page. To find a "Citing Articles" figure:
Click on the "Cited Reference Search" link in the top horizontal bar
Enter "Cited Author" information (and/or "Cited Work" and/or "Cited Year(s)" information and click on "Search").
Note the "Citing Articles" statistic for the article(s) you are analyzing
This figure will be slightly different from the "Times Cited" statistic as it will include: (1) articles that have cited the article in question over and above what Web of Science indexes ("source articles"); and (2) the number of times an article was cited within one article (i.e. if article A cited article B five times within its text, then the "Citing Articles" figure for article B would be 5, to represent the number of total citations, even though they come from the same article A. The "Times Cited" figure would be 1 to represent the one article that cited it within the Web of Science database).
If articles listed in the results are actually indexed in Web of Science ("source articles"), then there will be a "View Record" link to the full record, located in the "View Record" column on the right. You can follow this link to access the full record and find citing articles for this article and/or set up a citation alert (please see below instructions). To view the citing articles for any or all, check the boxes next to the article(s) you are analyzing and then click the "Finish Search" button. (N.B. You may not retrieve as many articles as the "Citing Articles" statistic suggests owing to the above bullet points).
To set up a Citation Alert:
Run a "Search," using either keyword, title, subject, or author information.
Click on the title of the article of interest.
Once in the full record for the article, click on the "Create Citation Alert" button, located in the blue box on the right side of the page (N.B. Registration is required to take advantage of this service). To Create a Researcher ID
More information about ResearcherID ResearcherID assigns you a unique identifier, making it easier to track your publications and differentiate yourself from other authors with similar names.
To use:
Impact Factor
Journal Citation Reports (JCR) can tell you what the impact factor is for journals within the science and social science fields. To use:
Select either the Science or Social Sciences Edition.
Then select to view: a group of journals by subject, publisher, or country OR a specific journal OR all journals.
Articles & eResources
All of these eResouces can tell you how often an article has been cited by other articles within its universe of indexed terms.
To use:
Click on "Cited References" in the horizontal blue bar.
Then enter the preferred search terms for the author or citation you are analyzing (i.e. input: bordwell david in "Cited Author"; or studies in french cinema in "Cited Source").
To use:
Click on "Cited References" in the horizontal blue bar.
Then enter the preferred search terms for the author or citation you are analyzing (i.e. input: bordwell david in "Cited Author"; or studies in french cinema in "Cited Source").
To use:
Click on "Cited References" in the horizontal blue bar.
Then enter the preferred search terms for the author or citation you are analyzing (i.e. input: bordwell david in "Cited Author"; or studies in french cinema in "Cited Source").
To use:
Click on "Cited References" in the horizontal blue bar.
Then enter the preferred search terms for the author or citation you are analyzing (i.e. input: bordwell david in "Cited Author"; or studies in french cinema in "Cited Source").
To use:
Click on "Cited References" in the horizontal blue bar.
Then enter the preferred search terms for the author or citation you are analyzing (i.e. input: bordwell david in "Cited Author"; or studies in french cinema in "Cited Source").
To use:
Enter preferred search terms (i.e. input d bordwell; or d bordwell "film art"); the more specific the better to avoid numerous false hits -- the universe of items you are searching in Google Scholar is quite large.
To use:
Run a typical search, using either keyword, title, subject, or author information.
Click on the title of the article that you wish to analyze.
On the right side of the screen there will be two red boxes. Depending upon the article, you may consult both boxes to obtain information:
The first box is labeled, "JSTOR." If the article you are analyzing is cited within the universe of items indexed in JSTOR, there may be a link that says something like, "x Articles Cite this Article." Click on this link to see those articles that cite the article you are analyzing.
The second box is labeled, "Google Scholar." Click on the "Articles Citing this Article" link. You will then be redirected to a Google Scholar page, listing all the articles that cite this work.
To use:
Click on "More" in the horizontal blue bar.
Click on "Cited References"
Then enter the preferred search terms for the author or citation you are analyzing (i.e. input: bordwell david in "Cited Author"; or studies in french cinema in "Cited Source").
To use:
Click on "PsycARTICLES" link.
Click on "Cited References" in the horizontal blue bar.
Then enter the preferred search terms for the author or citation you are analyzing (i.e. input: bordwell david in "Cited Author"; or studies in french cinema in "Cited Source").
To use:
Click on "Cited References" in the horizontal blue bar.
Then enter the preferred search terms for the author or citation you are analyzing (i.e. input: bordwell david in "Cited Author"; or studies in french cinema in "Cited Source").
To use:
Run a typical search, using either keyword, title, subject, or author information.
Click into the full record of the article you wish to analyze, using the article title link.
Click on the "Cited By" button on the right side of the screen. To set up a Citation Alert:
Run a typical search, using either keyword, title, subject, or author information.
Click into the full record of the article you wish to analyze, using the article title link.
Click on the "Save as Citation Alert " button on the right side of the screen (N.B. Registration is required to take advantage of this service).
To use:
Click on "Cited References" in the horizontal blue bar.
Then enter the preferred search terms for the author or citation you are analyzing (i.e. input: bordwell david in "Cited Author"; or studies in french cinema in "Cited Source").
Circulation and Rejection Rate
The Marketing, Management, Accounting and Economics & Finance directories help authors select journals that are most likely to publish their manuscripts. The index in each Directory helps you match the characteristics of your manuscript to the topic areas the journal emphasizes, the type of review process, acceptance rate and number of external reviewers.
To use: Click on the radial button next to the directory you wish to search.
Click on the "Access Selected Directory" button.
Then enter the appropriate search terms in the search boxes and select the search parameters as needed from the provided dropdown menus.
Run search.
To use:
Click on "MLA Directory of Periodicals" in the horizontal blue bar.
Browse for journal titles OR type the journal name in the search box and run the search (i.e. cinema journal).
Click on the name of the journal of interest to access the full record.
To use:
Search by keyword OR subject OR journal name.
Click on the name of the journal of interest to access the full record.
Library Subscriptions & Holdings
WorldCat is a union catalog of over 2000 libraries, giving holdings information for each of these institutions. To use:
Type the name of the journal or book you are analyzing in the search box; if you are sure of the title, put it in quotes.
If you are searching for a journal, check the box to the left of "Serial Publications" in the box labeled"Limit Type To."
Run the search.
Identify the appropriate record(s); look at the number listed to the right of the "Libraries Worldwide" field. This will be the number of libraries (who make their holdings available via WorldCat ) that subscribe to that journal or own that book.
Books & Library Materials
In addition to the wealth of educational news and research that can be found on their site, the Chronicle of Higher Education provides a vibrant and wonderful online community/forum for users to share stories and strategies with each other. If your topic or concern is not addressed, try posting a question of your own -- others will respond to you, oftentimes offering valuable advice. To use:
Click on "Opinions & Forums" in the tan box on the left of the screen.
Click on "Forums" in the grey box on the left of the screen
Explore away!
Websites
Eigenfactor.org can tell you what the impact factor is for journals within the science and social science fields. To use:
Type in a journal name AND/OR select a field from the dropdown menu.
"Publish or Perish is a software program that retrieves and analyzes academic citations. It uses Google Scholar to obtain the raw citations, then analyzes these and presents" a variety of statistics about these citations. To use:
Download the Publish or Perish software, depending upon your system requirements.
Type in an author's name (taking care to list names that you know of to exclude).
Uncheck or check the appropriate boxes to the right of the search boxes, as needed.
SCImago Journal & Country Rank can tell you what the impact factor is for journals in most disciplines. To use:
Click on the button labeled, "Journal Search." Type some or all of the words in the title of the journal you are analyzing.
Alternatively, you can click on the button labeled, "Journal Indicators," to browse the top journals by discipline.
Journal Websites
Impact Factor Often the website for the journal you are analyzing will provide impact factor data Example:
Go to Nature
Scroll down to the bottom of the page; click on "About NPG" on the left side of the screen
Click on the "For authors and referees" link in the red box on the right side of the screen
Click on "Author Benefits" in the red box on the left side of the screen.
Click on "Find out more" link below the "Author Benefits" heading on the left side of the screen.
Scroll down for information about Nature's impact factor.
Circulation Data
Journal Websites
Often the website for the journal you are analyzing will provide additional information about the journal and/or contact information for the journal's editor(s). Tips about researching journals via their websites :
Start early.
If you cannot find the information you need via their website, contact the journal editor(s) directly
Specify in your communication with the journal editor(s) that this information is needed for tenure or annual review; you will likely receive a more sympathetic and timely response.
To use:
Enter your preferred search terms in the search box.
Find the item you are researching and click into the full record
The Amazon.com Sales Rank number is usually located in the "Product Details" of the record
Other College & University Websites
It can be hard to determine how many publications and scholarly activities are enough for tenure at any institution, not just your own. But searching the Internet for tenure guidelines at other institutions can be illuminating and helpful.
Other information
Suggested Sample Tenure or Annual Review Entry
Bordwell D.
Cited 2 times in Web of Science [accessed August 14, 2007]
Cited 9 times in Google Scholar [accessed August 14, 2007]
Cited 1 time in Academic Search Premier [accessed August 14, 2007]
Cited 1 time in Communication & Mass Media Complete [accessed August 14, 2007]
Cited 1 time in Humanities International Index [accessed August 14, 2007]
Film Quarterly lists a circulation of 4550 in Ulrich's Periodical Directory [accessed August 14, 2007]
1414 libraries currently subscribe to Film Quarterly , according to WorldCat [accessed August 14, 2007]
Film Quarterly has an Amazon.com Sales Rank number of 2,803 [accessed August 14, 2007]
Film Quarterly has an acceptance rate of 15% (or a rejection rate of 85%) according to the MLA Directory of Periodicals [accessed August 14, 2007]
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