Journal impact factors and the structure of the nursing journal ecosystem
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Published on: September 22, 2021
Leslie H Nicoll1, Mohammed Quazi2, Heather Carter-Templeton3
1Maine Desk LLC, Westbrook, ME; Writer's Camp, Westbrook, ME.
Background:
Journal Impact Factors (JIFs) are widely used to evaluate nursing journals, yet they reflect only a subset of the broader nursing journal ecosystem. Although the number of journals assigned JIFs has increased, the implications of this expansion remain unclear.
Purpose:
To examine the structure of the nursing journal ecosystem by comparing journals listed in the Nursing Journals Directory with those indexed in Journal Citation Reports (JCR), and to analyze patterns of change across periods of expansion.
Methods:
A cross-sectional comparison was conducted using the Nursing Journals Directory and the 2024 JCR nursing category. Longitudinal JIF data were analyzed across three periods: approximately 49 journals (1997-2004), 130 journals (2005-2018), and 199 journals (2019-2024).
Discussion:
The number of nursing journals with JIFs increased substantially from 49 nursing journals between 1997 and 2004 to 194 journals in the 2024 JCR nursing category (199 journals when counting all journals with at least one JIF observation during 2019-2024). Citation patterns were not evenly distributed across journals. Citations were concentrated among a relatively small subset of journals: the top 10% of journals accounted for 29% of total citations. Analysis of publisher distribution indicated substantial concentration among a small number of large commercial publishers. Journals published by Wolters Kluwer, Wiley (including Wiley-Blackwell), Elsevier, and Sage accounted for a disproportionate share of both indexed journals and total citations.
Conclusions:
The nursing journal ecosystem has expanded substantially, with JIF-indexed journals representing only part of a broader landscape. Changes in JIFs are uneven and occur within a context of structural shifts in indexing and citation systems rather than consistent gains in quality. These findings support a systems-based perspective in which journal quality is shaped by governance, editorial capacity, and mission in addition to citation metrics.
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