Journal indexing--a critical reflection.
| Autor | Marotti de Mello, Adriana |
| Cargo | Editorial |
Indexing was originally a way to make the research work more efficient through the access to select and reliable scientific information sources (journals) and to the research disseminated by these sources. However, indexing (especially in terms of international databases, such as Scopus, SciELO and Web of Science) became currently a seal of quality of scientific journals as well as the research published in them.
Therefore, indexing became a complex and sometimes polemic matter and became the target of several academic studies and also editors of journals and researchers. This is a recurrent theme when we address the issue of evaluating research institutions and individual researchers, because the journal in which a paper is published, the bases in which this journal are indexed and its impact on the academic community are, among others, indicators used to evaluate the quality and the productivity of institutions and researchers.
To be indexed in one of these bases is a relevant fact for a journal to get more visibility in terms of published research, while attracting prestigious scholars and measuring its impact on the area of research. According to authors, publishing in an indexed journal entails the possibility to get more readers and quotes of their papers, which increases the author's reputation in the field.
Nowadays, it is common to use quote and impact indicators produced by these indexers in order to evaluate researchers and institutions. These indicators are also present in the most important international university rankings. For this reason, several journals want to be a part of these databases, and researchers seek to publish their papers in journals that are indexed in the same databases.
However, as researchers in the area of administration, we must question: does the selection process of these indexers is in fact evaluating the quality of the journal as well as the published papers?
It is important, therefore, to discuss which would be the main criteria for a journal to become part of these indexers. The criteria used for indexing in the main databases, such as SciELO, Scopus and Web of Science, can be divided into four groups: regularity and punctuality; basic criteria for admission; editorial content; and reputation of the journal.
Regularity and punctuality of the journal is the first requirement to be evaluated by indexers, which is essential for the continuity of evaluations. Indexers verify in this criterion the...
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