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Scholarly Publishing

Traditional Impact Factor Formula

Limitations of Impact Factors

  • Does not represent the total number of citations of the paper.
  • Varies among disciplines. 
  • Is dependent on journal's circulation, number and types of documents published.
  • Can be skewed by self citation.
  • Covers only a two-year period. 
  • Does not tell you how good a paper really is. 

Measuring the Importance of Journals and Articles