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(Circulation Research. 2004;95:119.)
© 2004 American Heart Association, Inc.

Editorials

At >10, Circulation Research 2003 Impact Factor Sets Yet Another Record

Eduardo Marbán

From the Editor in Chief, Circulation Research.

Correspondence to Eduardo Marbán, Editor in Chief, Circulation Research, 2700 Lighthouse Point East, Suite 230, Baltimore, MD 21224. E-mail circulation.research{at}circresearch.com

Key Words: impact factor • citations • scientific publishing

On behalf of all the Editors, I would like to share the good news that our impact factor for the year 2003 stands at 10.117, an all-time high for Circulation Research. The Figure shows a trend analysis plot; the impact factor has increased progressively over the last decade and now is more than twice what it was just a decade ago.

View larger version (27K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Circulation Research impact factors, 1988–2003.

What is the impact factor? The formula is as follows:

The intent, therefore, is to provide a metric for the number of times an article is cited, on average, in the first 1 to 2 years after it appears. However, close scrutiny of the formula reveals that the factor might be artificially inflated in journals that routinely publish abstracts. Citations to abstracts are counted in the numerator, but not in the denominator. Our journal has not published any abstracts in recent history. Thus, the impact factor for Circulation Research is particularly notable given its lack of artificial inflation by the publication of meeting abstracts.

The current Editors took over in mid-1999, and we are proud to have presided over 5 uninterrupted years of growth in the impact factor. Inspection of the equation also reveals that the impact factor lags behind any editorial initiatives; thus, the data that have just been released are among the first to reflect exclusively the efforts of our editorial team.

While gratified by the excellent performance, the Editors feel that the impact factor is overly emphasized in ranking journals and in the academic promotions process. We aspire to be judged on the quality of what we publish, something that cannot be reduced to any simple metric. Nevertheless, we recognize that the impact factor, imperfect as it may be, is here to stay, and we would rather see it rise than remain static.

The next full report on the journal’s performance will appear early in 2005. In the meantime, as always, the Editors welcome your feedback at circulation.research{at}circresearch.com.

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