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Nestor MS, Fischer DL, Arnold D, Berman B, Del Rosso JQ. Rethinking the Journal Impact Factor and Publishing in the Digital Age. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol 2020; 13:12-17. [PMID: 32082465 PMCID: PMC7028381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Clinical and experimental literature search has changed significantly over the past few decades, and with it, the way in which we value information. Today, our need for immediate access to relevant and specific literature, regardless of specialty, has led to a growing demand for open access to publications. The Journal Impact Factor (JIF) has been a long-time standard for representing the quality or "prestige" of a journal, but it appears to be losing its relevance. Here, we define the JIF and deconstruct its validity as a modern measure of a journal's quality, discuss the current models of academic publication, including their advantages and shortcomings, and discuss the benefits and shortcomings of a variety of open-access models, including costs to the author. We have quantified a nonsubscribed physician's access to full articles associated with dermatologic disease and aesthetics cited on PubMed. For some of the most common dermatology conditions, 23.1 percent of citations (ranging from 17.2% for melasma to 31.9% for malignant melanoma) were available as free full articles, and for aesthetic procedures, 18.9 percent of citations (ranging from 11.9% for laser hair removal to 27.9% for botulinum toxin) were available as free full articles. Finally, we discuss existing alternative metrics for measuring journal impact and propose the adoption of a superior publishing model, one that satisfies modern day standards of scholarly knowledge pursuit and dissemination of scholarly publications for dermatology and all of medical science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark S Nestor
- Drs. Nestor, Fischer, Arnold, and Berman are with the Center for Clinical and Cosmetic Research in Aventura, Florida
- Drs. Nestor and Berman are with the Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, with Dr. Nestor also serving in the Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida
- Dr. Del Rosso is with JDR Dermatology Research/Thomas Dermatology in Las Vegas, Nevada and Touro University Nevada in Henderson, Nevada
| | - Daniel L Fischer
- Drs. Nestor, Fischer, Arnold, and Berman are with the Center for Clinical and Cosmetic Research in Aventura, Florida
- Drs. Nestor and Berman are with the Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, with Dr. Nestor also serving in the Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida
- Dr. Del Rosso is with JDR Dermatology Research/Thomas Dermatology in Las Vegas, Nevada and Touro University Nevada in Henderson, Nevada
| | - David Arnold
- Drs. Nestor, Fischer, Arnold, and Berman are with the Center for Clinical and Cosmetic Research in Aventura, Florida
- Drs. Nestor and Berman are with the Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, with Dr. Nestor also serving in the Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida
- Dr. Del Rosso is with JDR Dermatology Research/Thomas Dermatology in Las Vegas, Nevada and Touro University Nevada in Henderson, Nevada
| | - Brian Berman
- Drs. Nestor, Fischer, Arnold, and Berman are with the Center for Clinical and Cosmetic Research in Aventura, Florida
- Drs. Nestor and Berman are with the Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, with Dr. Nestor also serving in the Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida
- Dr. Del Rosso is with JDR Dermatology Research/Thomas Dermatology in Las Vegas, Nevada and Touro University Nevada in Henderson, Nevada
| | - James Q Del Rosso
- Drs. Nestor, Fischer, Arnold, and Berman are with the Center for Clinical and Cosmetic Research in Aventura, Florida
- Drs. Nestor and Berman are with the Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, with Dr. Nestor also serving in the Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida
- Dr. Del Rosso is with JDR Dermatology Research/Thomas Dermatology in Las Vegas, Nevada and Touro University Nevada in Henderson, Nevada
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