As I’ve executed yearly for the final 15 years, I can now current the 2022 conservation / ecology / sustainability journal ranks primarily based on my (revealed) journal-ranking methodology.
Though each the Clarivate (Affect Issue, Journal Quotation Indicator, Immediacy Index) and Scopus (CiteScore, Supply-Normalised Affect Per Paper, SCImago Journal Rank) values have been out for a couple of month or so, the Google (h5-index, h5-median) scores solely got here out yesterday.
This yr’s additionally a bit bizarre from the angle of the Clarivate ranks. First, Affect Components will not be supplied to a few important digits, however solely to at least one (e.g., 7.2 versus 7.162). That’s not such a giant deal, however it does appropriate for relative ranks primarily based on false precision. Nevertheless, the most important adjustments are extra methdological — Affect Components now take on-line articles under consideration (within the denominator), so most journals can have a decrease Affect Issue this yr in comparison with final. The truth is, of the 105 journals within the ecology/conservation/multidisciplinary class which have knowledge for each 2021 and 2022, the 2022 Affect Components are a median 15% decrease than the 2021 values.
One other impact in play seems to have been the pandemic. The worst of the pandemic occurred proper through the evaluation interval, and I’m fairly positive that is mirrored each when it comes to the variety of articles revealed (down a median of 10%) and whole variety of citations within the evaluation interval (down 7%) per journal.
However utilizing my methodology, these adjustments a considerably irrelevant as a result of I calculate relative ranks, not an absolute rating.
I subsequently current the new 2022 ranks for: (i) 108 ecology, conservation and multidisciplinary journals, (ii) 28 open-access (i.e., it’s important to pay) journals from the earlier class, (iii) 66 ‘ecology’ journals, (iv) 31 ‘conservation’ journals, (v) 43 ‘sustainability’ journals (with basic and energy-focussed journals included), and (vi) 21 ‘marine & freshwater’ journals.
Listed here are the outcomes:
(i) ecology, conservation and multidisciplinary
Right here’s a extra focussed record of the top-20 journals from above:
Not numerous change from final yr, however One Earth does make it into the highest 20 in 2022.
From the complete pattern above, right here is the rating for the 28 journals which can be open-access, should you fancy paying a number of 1000’s (if not tens of 1000’s) of {dollars}/euros/kilos for the privilege:
(ii) ecology journals
Not many adjustments for the ecology journals, however One Earth once more has leap-frogged many competing journals and now locations 8th amongst these 66 ecology journals. Folks and Nature has additionally entered the highest 20 this yr.
Right here’s a better take a look at the top-20 from that final record:
(iii) conservation journals
Right here is probably the most fascinating record for ConservationBytes.com readers:
There are not any actually putting adjustments right here both, however Conservation Biology has moved barely forward of Organic Conservation, and One Earth and Folks and Nature are additionally doing effectively on this class.
(iv) sustainability journals
Within the ‘sustainability’ journals (together with some general-category ones too), not a lot has modified since final yr:
(v) marine and freshwater journals
Not a lot change right here both since final yr:
So, there you will have it. Regardless of some reasonably massive adjustments in the best way Affect Components are calculated and the epidemic-related slowdown, not quite a bit has modified when it comes to relative ranks.
You’ll be able to entry the uncooked knowledge for 2022 and use my RShiny app to derive your individual samples of journal ranks.
See additionally the earlier years’ rankings (2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008).