Impact of Journal Quality vs. Author Quality
Author Information
Author(s): Hönekopp Johannes, Kleber Janet
Hypothesis
The H index is unsuitable for predicting the future success of an article compared to the journal's impact factor.
Conclusion
The study found that the journal's impact factor is a better predictor of an article's future citations than the author's H index.
Supporting Evidence
- The study analyzed 97 articles by 29 board members of Retrovirology.
- Log(IF) was a significant predictor of citation frequency.
- The H index did not predict citation frequency.
- Reviewers are biased in favor of prestigious authors.
Takeaway
This study shows that when deciding which articles to read, it's better to look at the journal's reputation rather than the author's past work.
Methodology
The study used stepwise linear regression to analyze citation frequencies based on the H index and impact factor.
Potential Biases
Reviewers may be biased towards prestigious authors, which could affect the peer-review process.
Limitations
The predictive power of the impact factor was found to be surprisingly small.
Participant Demographics
Participants were editorial board members of the journal Retrovirology.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p = .005
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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