Advanced Academic Writing Workshop

The Impact Factor Dilemma

G.J.E.C.
10 – 13th September, 2018
 Impact Factor

Question: What is impact factor?

• Impact factors reflect the size of a journal’s readership

more than the quality of its science.

• Impact factors must be considered, but they are not the

most important criterion.

• Neither your value as scientists nor worth as human

beings has anything to do with journal impact factors!
 Impact Factor

Question: How many scientific journals are there?

• Today there are reported over 50,000 scientific journals.

• Many are looking for submissions, so you can get
published.
• This is situation threatens to destroy the integrity of
science.
• Many of these journals cannot and should not survive.
Generally they do not have impact factors.
 Impact Factor

• The best strategy is to identify a group of journals that are

appropriate for your manuscript and then select one with
a reasonably high impact factor.

• Impact factors can be located at:

http://www.impactfactorsearch.com.
 Impact Factor

• Choose the most appropriate journals and it will save you

time and headaches.

• It is better to be productively engaged in new research

than to waste time trying and trying to publish old
research.

• In 10 or 20 years, most papers will be unread. Some will

be on the day that they are published. There’s a happy
thought!
 Impact Factor

• Be productive and do your very best.

• Let’s all help one another so that everyone benefits.

• We have been given opportunities that most could not

even dream of having.

Get writing!
 Q&A

G.J.E.C.
10 – 13th September, 2018