Journal Impact Factor
The impact factor is an indicator of journal quality. A measure of the frequency with which the "average article" in a journal has been cited in a particular year, the impact factor is calculated by dividing the number of current citations to articles published in the two previous years by the total number of articles published in the two previous years. Ultimately, the impact factor will help you evaluate a journal's relative importance, especially when you compare it to others in the same field.
- ISI Journal Citation Reports (JCR Online)Click on the "select a database" tab, and then the "Journal Citation Reports" tab. Select the "JCR Social Sciences Edition." You can browse a group of journals by category (e.g. "Communication), search for a specific journal, or view all journals.
- Ulrich's Periodicals DirectoryYou can look for 'refereed' indicator, circulation statistics, and included abstracting/indexing services for a good indication of a journal's impact.
- WorldCatThe number of libraries owning a journal is an indication of the impact and importance of the journal. Go to 'advanced search' and search by title or ISSN. Look at the 'libraries worldwide' link.
- Essential Science IndicatorsIn-depth analytical tool offering data for ranking scientists, institutions, countries, and journals. Also includes list of "highly cited" and "hot" research papers. Essential Science Indicators has been updated as of July 1, 2009 to cover an 10-year plus four-month period, January 1, 1999-April 30, 2009.
Citation Analysis
Citation Analysis or citation tracking is a way to see the impact of an article in its field. Also, it's a great way to use a "landmark" or influential article to find more recent, related articles that cite the landmark article.
- ISI Web of ScienceSelect the "Web of Science" database. Then use the "Cited Reference Search" link to find articles that cite the work(s) of an author. Use the format [Last Name First Initial*] (e.g. Smith H*).
- Wiley InterScienceGo to "advanced search" and use the "references" field.
- Historical Abstracts with Full TextUse the "Cited References" search to find out how many times a specific article or author has been cited in the database.
- Sage Journals OnlineClick on "advanced search" and select the "References" field from the drop-down box.
- CSA Databases (PsycINFO, Linguistics & Language Behavior, Sociological Abstracts)Click on "advanced search" and choose the 'references' field from the drop-down menu.
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new windowSearch results that have been cited by others will have a link that says "Cited by [number]." Click that link to go to the citing authors.
- Proquest Research LibraryClick on "advanced search" and do a Citation and Document Text Search. Find the author's name in footnotes by typing FOOT (Author Last Name), e.g. to see where Antonio Damasio is cited, type: FOOT (Damasio)
Subject Guide
Chimene Tucker
Contact:
Doheny Memorial Library
room 224
cetucker@usc.edu
room 224
cetucker@usc.edu
213-740-2332
Subjects: Communication & Journalism, Gender & LGBTQ Studies