We urge authors to refrain from engaging in impact factor misuse, which includes, for example, focusing narrowly on Journal Impact Factors (JIFs) as the sole determinant of submission to a journal for consideration. This also can include withdrawing a paper to submit the manuscript to a journal with a higher JIF. Such practices can be considered poor scientific practice, and is often based on a misunderstanding on what the JIF measures or how research should be (and in practice is) valued.
The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) clearly states that any other use of the impact factor is misuse:
"Do not use journal-based metrics, such as Journal Impact Factors, as a surrogate measure of the quality of individual research articles, to assess an individual scientist’s contributions, or in hiring, promotion, or funding decisions."
The JIF is a tool for libraries and journal editors to study the ranking of a journal within a discipline. It is conceptually inappropriate to use a JIF as the sole determinant to assess the importance of an article, e.g., for tenure and promotion purposes or research evaluation of individual researchers or research groups.
Other international standards and policies are also moving in a similar direction, e.g. the Leiden Manifesto. Other national or international policies that have been traditionally on the opposing end, systematically incentivizing and perpetuating JIF misuse, may also be seeking to change such practices.
What does this mean for a manuscript in a JMIR Publications journal?
JMIR Publications ensures the high quality of all its journals through robust peer-review and stringent editorial selection. We recognize that JIFs differ across our diverse journal portfolio. However, we strongly caution against using JIF as the measure of a research paper's importance. The scientific merit and impact of individual manuscripts are paramount, regardless of the journal's current JIF.
If we suggest transferring a paper to another JMIR Publications journal, it's always because we believe it's a better fit for that journal's scope. We'll provide authors with specific reasons when we issue our decision; these recommendations are never based on a journal's JIF. (See also: Why has my article been transferred to another journal (or a transfer has been suggested), and what are my options?)
Our stance on Journal Impact Factors
While we are proud of our leading position within the JCR rankings, JMIR Publications recognizes JIFs but emphasizes its inherent limitations as a comprehensive measure of scholarly impact. We highlight the following points:
- The JIF is a journal-level metric, not an indicator of individual article quality.
- Delays in Indexing: New journals, particularly in dynamic areas like digital health, often face significant delays (years) in gaining Clarivate indexing and JIF eligibility.
- Lack of transparency: Given that JIF evaluation criteria can at times be non-transparent and non-reproducible, we strongly caution against its singular use in evaluating academic performance for students and faculty.
Related Articles
- Which JMIR Publications journals have an Impact Factor?
- Why has my article been transferred to another journal (or a transfer has been suggested), and what are my options?