Thursday, May 08, 2014
Upcoming Webinar: Impact Factors, Journal Quality, and Research Assessment in the Humanities and Social Sciences
The next webinar in the ASEEES Webinar Series is: “Impact Factors, Journal Quality, and Research Assessment in the Humanities and Social Sciences” on Thur, May 22, 1 PM – 2PM ET.
Arguably the most widely reported statistic emanating from the Social Science Citation Index/Journal Citation Reports (SSCI/JCR) is the journal “impact factor.” A journal’s impact factor is calculated according to a specific formula comparing the number of times a journal is cited relative to the number of articles that journal publishes. More concretely, impact factors are used as markers of journal impact and quality by publishers, scholars, disciplinary associations, and other interested parties. In short, they are used to evaluate output for tenure and to sell journals to libraries.
Trevor Parry-Giles, Director for Academic and Professional Affairs of the National Communication Association, has graceously agreed to provide a webinar for ASEEES and will give a concise explanation of Impact Factors and will help participants understand their historical and practical significance. Additionally, Dr. Parry-Giles will review the more salient concerns and objections to the uses of impact factors and the potential consequences of an over-reliance on the impact factor as a measure of research quality and productivity. Scholars (particularly those in the Humanities and Social Sciences), librarians, and journal editors all stand to benefit from Dr. Parry-Giles’ talk. We have also opened up the webinar to members of the African Studies Association and the Middle East Studies Association.
We hope you will join us for this important webinar.