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COLLNET Journal of Scientometrics and Information Management cover

COLLNET Journal of Scientometrics and Information Management

(Since 2007)
Hybrid ·Peer-reviewed·ISSN (Online): 2168-930X·ISSN (Print): 0973-7766

WoS  JIF 2026 : 0.6 (Q3)

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Half-Yearly Journal: Publishes research and articles on scientometrics and information management, including bibliometric analysis and quality assurance models.

Issues up to 2022 co-published with and available at:Taylor & Francis Online
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COLLNET Journal of Scientometrics and Information Management
Open Access Research Article

An apologia for using journal prestige in academic employment decisions: An asymmetric information perspective

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pp. 373–379Vol. 17Issue 2December 2023DOI: 10.47974/CJSIM-2022-0091XML
Published Online:
21 Dec 2023
Article type:
Research Article
Language:
EN
Article no.:
CJSIM-2022-0091
Pages:
373–379

Abstract

Using journal prestige to gauge the quality of research articles has been criticized by some scholars in the academic research assessment literature. These critics argue that citation-based metrics, while imperfect, are better suited to assessing article quality. This paper counters these beliefs by describing specific research assessment contexts where journal prestige is likely to be the superior mode of assessment. To do so, academic employment decisions are framed as asymmetric information problems wherein the research evaluating body has less information about a scholar’s true abilities than the scholar. Signaling Theory therefore offers a logical explanation for using journal prestige as a measure of research quality during academic contract renewals and promotions wherein recent research accomplishments are of preeminent importance. While journal prestige is an imperfect measure of article quality (as are citation counts), understanding it as a credible signal in an asymmetric information environment proffers a fundamental explanation for its applicability in academic assessment decisions.

Keywords

Scholar rankingImpact factorsResearch assessment

Subject Classifications

A1M5

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