First published on September 12, 2007
This version was published on October 1, 2007
Neuro Oncol 2007 9(4):383; DOI:10.1215/15228517-2007-033
Duke University Press
New Impact Factor Rankings Show Continued Upward Trajectory for Neuro-Oncology
W. K. Alfred Yung, Editor in Chief
We are pleased to report that Neuro-Oncology's impact factor (published annually by Thomson Scientific in its Journal Citation Reports) continues its upward trajectory (see figure). The journal has reached a new high, with an impact factor of 4.939, as indicated in the recently released 2006 rankings. As a result of this increase, Neuro-Oncology's ranking has improved among both oncology journals (ranking 23rd of 127) and clinical neurology journals (ranking 14th of 146).
The impact factor has become for many the primary metric used to assess a journal's success. It is an indicator of the mean citation frequency for articles published in a specific journal in the preceding 2 years (i.e., our impact factor for 2006 reflects the mean number of times Neuro-Oncology articles published in 2004 and 2005 were cited in 2006).
Additional analysis of Neuro-Oncology article citation trends further attests to the journal's increasing visibility and significance to the worldwide community of clinicians and investigators who study or treat brain tumors. For instance, we found a marked decrease in uncited articles: 23% of the total articles used in calculating the journal's 2005 impact factor received no citations, whereas that value dropped to an estimated 6% for the 2006 calculation. In addition, the number of Neuro-Oncology articles receiving at least five citations for the period of time used to calculate the 2006 impact factor increased twofold relative to 2005 (36% for the 2006 impact factor and 18% for the 2005 impact factor). This increase indicates that more articles in Neuro-Oncology are being cited more frequently and that the journal's high impact factor is not a result of a single citation-accruing article, such as a high-impact review. Additional metrics of potential interest, such as journal half-life and immediacy index values, are calculated by Thomson Scientific and are accessible by visiting http://portal.isiknowledge.com/portal.cgi (choose "Journal Citation Reports" to look up information about any journal the company tracks).
The continuation of positive citation trends for Neuro-Oncology helps to emphasize a critical responsibility of the journal editors and editorial board: to see that manuscripts of interest, as well as of quality, are published herein. It also suggests responsibilities of the journal's readership: to be familiar with the contents of the journal and to cite Neuro-Oncology articles whenever appropriate.
