Publishing scientific articles in indexed journals has one definite advantage: It ensures that all subscribers to that journal will read and cite your work. Because of the high number of journals, the number of subscribers to the journal may not be very high. Some researchers may not have subscriptions to indexed journals; so, how do they find your article?
The answer is journal indexing and indexation services. Journal indexing is the process of listing the titles, authors, and abstracts of articles published in indexed journals. You may already be familiar with some of the top medical journals indexes, such as Google Scholar, PubMed Index, Thomson Reuters’ Biomedical Abstract, and Index Medicus.
The function of journal indexes
Journal indexes gather citations and this helps researchers in locating articles they are looking for. In fact, researchers would be able to search through a large database of citation information. Using computer algorithms, journal indexes usually automate the process. These algorithms can determine data such as the language of the article, the keywords, and the full text of the article. Plus, researchers who are interested in specific research topics can find your work easily because they do not need to subscribe to all relevant journals.
Things you should know about DRJI scores
There is an ongoing debate among scholars and journal publishers over the question of whether indexing and abstracting services bring prestige to the journal. Indexing can increase the number of citations of a journal article. A higher number of citations can increase the impact factor and the score in Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports (JCR). The journal’s reputation is recognized in JCR.
Citations are important but what about indexing services, are they important too? The introduction of journal quality methods such as the Directory of Research Journal Indexing (DRJI) has given more importance to journal indexing.
Authors who are interested in publishing in high-prestige journals evaluate the reputation of the journal by looking at the statistics such as DRJI. Some journals publish plagiarized content or questionable scientific journal articles and they usually charge authors a fee for publication. Publishing in these “bad science” journals can affect your career and is bad for your CV.
DRJI scores
DRJI calculates a journal scores out of 1,000 based on the following list:
- Articles published regularly (monthly, quarterly, etc.) – 100 points
- Journal website design – 100 points
- Percentage of article plagiarism detection – 50 points
- Presence in social media networks – 50 points
- Journal’s presence in various indexing services – 50 points
It may surprise you that journal indexing is only worth 50 points out of 1,000 for the DRJI score. You may think that indexing and plagiarism are more important than a journal’s website.
Unfortunately, there is no uncontroversial approach to determining the objective quality of a scientific or medical journal. So, that is why researchers and journal publishers have to consult the DRJI and similar services.
Indexing matters
Although it is ideal to believe that the quality of a research article will be judged based on its own merits, it is not so. Despite the fact that the DRJI and other scoring services have some shortcomings, they are serious and you should take them seriously when you choose where to publish.
Although publishing in indexed journals is not a guaranteed way of enhancing your career, it is doubtless an important consideration when you decide where to submit your manuscript. Therefore, Publishing in indexed journals help fellow researchers locate and get access to your work much easier. Therefore, our recommendation for you is to try to publish your works in journals indexed in the top databases.