Discussion of impact factors of scientific journals focuses on a study that examined the Institute for Scientific Information's annual listing based upon data from the Science Citation Index. This article presents evidence that the values of the impact factors are often inaccurate due to an inappropriate definition of citable documents.…

This response to an earlier article on a combined log-linear/MDS model for mapping journals by citation analysis discusses the underlying assumptions of the Poisson model with respect to characteristics of the citation process. The importance of empirical data analysis is also addressed. (nine references) (LRW)

Using three published indexes of rehabilitation literature (Index of Selected Rehabilitation Research and Development Literature, Excerpta Medica's Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine Abstract Journal, and Rehabilitation Index), a list of core rehabilitation journals was compiled. The 14 journals cited 15 or more times in at least 2 of the…

Discusses the use of citation analysis as an effective tool for scholars to determine what journals would be appropriate for publication of their work. Calculating citation distance is explained, and a study with economics journals is described that computed citation distance between previously published articles and journals in the field. (12…

The present study undertook an updated citation analysis of Skinner's (1957) "Verbal Behavior". All articles that cited "Verbal Behavior" between 1984 and 2004 were recorded and content analyzed into one of five categories; four empirical and one nonempirical. Of the empirical categories, studies that employed a verbal operant from Skinner's…

Identifies frequently cited journal articles on children's emotional/behavioral disorders. Describes characteristics (e.g., funding source, research design, statistical method) of frequently cited articles and compares them to randomly selected articles. Discusses implications. (Author/ABL)

Discusses "impact factor," a measure of journal impact defined by the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) and available in Journal Citation Reports. Argues that "impact factor" is misnamed and misused, suggesting an alternative name and interpretation of the measure, and proposes two new measures to assess the impact of…

An analysis of citations in the 1993 volumes of the 4 most-cited ornithological journals revealed that 75% of references were to serials, 22.5% to books, and 2.5% to dissertations. The study found that 96.73% of citations were in English, title dispersion included 755 journals, and time span was greater than 33 years. Lists the 69 most-cited…

Comments on author cocitation analysis theory and methods. By entering Pearson's r's into multidimensional scaling and clustering routines, the author shows that, despite r's fluctuations, clusters based on it are much the same for the combined groups as for the separate groups. The combined groups when mapped appear as polarized clumps of points…

Discussion of knowledge domain visualization focuses on practical issues concerning modeling and visualizing scientific revolutions. Studies growth patterns of specialties derived from citation and cocitation data on string theory in physics, using the general framework of Thomas Kuhn's structure of scientific revolutions. (Author/LRW)

Investigates an integrated approach to scientometrics, or science mapping, with emphasis on the use of information visualization and animation techniques. Describes citation and cocitation patterns derived from articles published in the journal "Scientometrics", 1981-2001 and presents the growth of citation rates through an animation…

Discusses the need to incorporate uncited influences, as well as cited, in citation analysis and the study of citer motivation. The discussion is illustrated with an example of the process of deciding which influences to cite and which not to cite. (eight references) (CLB)

Addresses objections to the validity of assuming a Poisson loglinear model as the generating process for citations from one journal into another. Fluctuations in citation rate, serial dependence on citations, impossibility of distinguishing between rate changes and serial dependence, evidence for changes in Poisson rate, and transitivity…

This study commemorates the 30th anniversary of "The Counseling Psychologist" (TCP). Analyzes trends in the professional citations of the Major Contribution articles from the inception of TCP in 1969 through 1995. Results and implications are discussed with regard to professional issues, "TCP," and future research. (GCP)

Compares the authors cited in the index of the Handbook of Research on Science Teaching and Learning with those cited in the chapter on "Research on Teaching in the Natural Sciences" in the Second Handbook of Research on Teaching. Concentrates on the frequency of author citations and inferences that can be made on the basis of such data. (JRH)