Bibliometric analysis in the evaluation of journals published by the Forest Research Institute: Forest Research Papers and Folia Forestalia Polonica Series A – Forestry

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in interest in publishing articles in journals recorded by global databases, in particular the Web of Science ™ Core Collection, which indexes journals found in the Journal Citation Reports. The publication of results in these journals has a significant impact on the assessment of the achievements of researchers and scientific institutions. Our study focused on the bibliometric analysis of two journals published by the Forest Research Institute: Forest Research Papers (Leśne Prace Badawcze) and Folia Forestalia Polonica Series A – Forestry. The results of these analyses were used to develop theoretical indices for the editorial boards of these journals in terms of requirements for including both periodicals in the Journal Citation Reports. The analysis covered the volumes published in 2000–2015 and the publication activity of the journals was evaluated on the basis of the numbers of articles, references, authors and journal citations. Bibliometric indicators such as the predicted Impact Factor, the Hirsch index, the Scimago Journal Rank and the Index Copernicus Value were used to evaluate the rank of the journals within the databases. In the examined period, 65 volumes of Forest Research Papers were published, with an average of 31 articles per year containing about 14,000 references and almost 900 contributing authors. During the same time frame, 30 volumes of Folia Forestalia Polonica Series A – Forestry were published, with an average of 14 articles per year. These articles included approximately 5,000 references and 600 authors. An increase in the bibliometric indicators for both journals was observed with the Impact Factor predicted to rise to 0.192 (Forest Research Papers) and 0.178 (Folia Forestalia Polonica Series A – Forestry). In order for the two examined journals to be included in the Journal Citation Reports the following requirements need to be met: (1) an increased number of articles published by authors with significant international authority in their field, (2) a greater number of researchers, especially from developed countries, in advisory boards, (3) more articles published in individual volumes to reach higher citation numbers in databases, and (4) promotion of the most cited articles.