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The Impact Factor Fetishism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 October 2013

Christian Fleck
Christian Fleck*
Affiliation:
Karl-Franzens-Universität, Graz, Institut für Soziologie [christian.fleck@uni-graz.at].
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Abstract

One of the most popular indicators is the Impact Factor. This paper examines the coming into being of this highly influential figure. It is the offspring of Eugene Garfield’s experimentation with the huge amounts of data available at his Institute for Scientific Information and the result of a number of attempts to find appropriate measurements for the success (“impact”) of articles and journals. The completely inductive procedure was initially adjusted by examining the data thoughtfully and by consulting with experts from different scientific disciplines. Later, its calculation modes were imposed on other disciplines without further consideration. The paper demonstrates in detail the inopportune consequences of this, in particular for sociology. Neither the definition of disciplines, nor the selection of journals for the Web of Science/Social Science Citation Index follows any comprehensible rationale. The procedures for calculating the impact factor are inappropriate. Despite its obvious unsuitability, the impact factor is used by editors of sociological journals for marketing and impression management purposes. Fetishism!

Résumé

L’un des indicateurs bibliométriques les plus utilisés est le facteur d’impact. On retrace ici l’ascension de ce chiffre si influent. Il est le produit d’une expérimentation d’Eugène Garfield à partir de l’énorme masse de données de son « Institute for Scientific Information » après de nombreux essais pour trouver des mesures convenables de succès (impact) d’articles ou de revues. La démarche, totalement inductive a été d’abord affinée à la fois par l’examen attentif des données et l’appel à des experts scientifiques de quelques disciplines. Par la suite les modalités de calcul ont été étendues aux autres, sans plus de précaution. L’article expose dans le détail les conséquences catastrophiques en particulier pour la sociologie. Ni le contenu des intitulés disciplinaires, ni la sélection des revues dans le Web of Science/Social Science Citation Index ne répondent à des critères rationnels. Il en va de même de la procédure de calcul des facteurs d’impact, qui, en dépit de ces défauts évidents est utilisé par les éditeurs de revues à des fins de marketing et de pilotage. Fétichisme !

Zusammenfassung

Der Beitrag untersucht Entstehung und Verwendung des "Impact Faktors". Er war ein Nebenprodukt von Eugene Garfields Experimentieren mit den riesigen Datenmengen, die seinem Institute for Scientific Information zur Verfügung standen, um den Erfolg („impact“) von Artikeln und Zeitschriften zu messen. Der Impact Faktor wurde völlig induktive anhand der Daten einiger weniger naturwissenschaftlicher Disziplinen und nach Konsultationen mit Experten aus diesem Bereich entwickelt und danach ohne weitere Prüfung auf andere Disziplinen übertragen. Weder die Definition der Disziplinen, noch die Auswahl der Zeitschriften, die in das Web of Science bzw. den Social Science Citation Index aufgenommen wurden, folgen einer nachvollziehbaren Begründung. Trotz offensichtlicher Ungeeignetheit für die Soziologie wird der Impact Faktor von Herausgebern und Verlagen für Werbe- und Marketingzwecke verwendet und beeinflusst das Leseverhalten und die Veröffentlichungspraktiken von Soziologen. Ihr Verhalten gleicht dem Fetischismus, der vor langem als Merkmal der kapitalistischer Produktionsweise identifiziert wurde.

Keywords

Impact FactorWeb of Science/Social Science Citation IndexEugene GarfieldjournalsEuropean sociologyMeasurementScientometricsFacteur d’impactWeb of Science/Social Science Citation IndexEugene GarfieldRevuesSociologie européenneMesuresBibliométrieImpact FactorWeb of Science/Social Science Citation IndexEugene GarfieldZeitschriftenEuropäische SociologyoeMessungScientometrie
Type
Research Articles
Information
European Journal of Sociology / Archives Européennes de Sociologie , Volume 54 , Issue 2 , August 2013 , pp. 327 - 356
Copyright
Copyright © A.E.S. 2013 

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