Biology 360L: General Botany

Bibliometrics & Impact

"Bibliometrics" refers to the statistical analyses of publications using citation data. The analyses are used to track researcher output and publication impact. Quantitative impact statistics vary by field and research area and are just one factor to consider when selecting the best sources for your research. Great research can be published anywhere!

Journal Impact Factor

Journal Impact Factor is a metric intended to represent the research impact of an academic or scholarly journal through a ratio reflecting the yearly average number of citations to recent articles published in an academic journal. This is a unique metric offered through the InCites Journal Citation Reports database, a product of Thomson Reuters.

Search for Journal Impact Factors via the database link below: 

Author h-index

The h-index is an author level metric meant to measure author productivity and the citation impact of an author’s publications. Use Google Scholar Author Search to find an author’s calculated h-index as well as see how many times he/she has been cited per year. For example, an individual with an h-index of 150 has 150 published papers that have been cited 150 times or more. A higher h-index correlates to higher research impact. 

Eigenfactor: Impact Factor Alternative

Eigenfactor offers an alternative journal-level metric to the Journal Impact Factor. The intent of this metric is to provide a rating for the total importance of a scholarly journal, including changes in influence over time. In addition to journal-level metrics, the Eigenfactor website has rankings for the various disciplines, but also some interesting disciplinary mapping tools.