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Finding and evaluating trusted journal titles in your field

UPDATED: June 17, 2024. Original Post: September 15, 2017

There are many factors you should consider when identifying the top journals in a particular field. These include:

• the publisher’s reputation
• the peer review process
• current citation metrics

Peer-Reviewed Titles

The peer review process involves independent experts in the same or related field(s) as the author, evaluating the “quality of the scholarship, reliability of findings, relevance to the field, appropriateness for the journal, etc.” (McMaster University, n.d.).

Many databases allow you to limit your search to peer-reviewed journals. For example, when searching CINAHL Ultimate, you can check the Peer Reviewed box under Search Options, then Limit your results, before entering your search terms. Alternatively, after you complete your search, you can refine your results by filtering by Source Types and selecting Academic Journals (A):

Using the Library’s Discover search, you can look for peer-reviewed articles by selecting Show peer reviewed only (B) in your search results:

Journal Metrics

Several metrics are used to measure the importance of journals, including:

• Impact Factor
• Eigenfactor
• Scimago Journal & Country Rank (SJR)

SJR, for example, is an open-access metric that ranks titles found in Scopus from 1996-present. Use the Journal Rankings (C) feature to organize results by specific criteria, including:

subject area
subject category
regions/countries
type
year

SJR journal ranking information (score and H-INDEX) can also be found while searching the library’s journal collection.

Hovering your mouse over the SJR score (D) will give more information about the score:

• A higher score is better.
• Q1 signifies that a journal has been ranked in the top 25% of its subject category.
• H-Index is a reflection of the number of an author’s published articles and number of times cited.

Some people question the validity and reliability of journal metrics, in particular, those of Impact Factor (Greenwood, 2007).

Additional Evaluation Tips

The University of Chicago’s Library Guides and Dalhousie University’s “Predatory Publishers: How to determine validity” overview provide questions you may find helpful to consider when evaluating journals, including:

• Is the journal published/sponsored by a professional scholarly society or association (e.g., the American Psychological Association)? An academic press (e.g., Oxford University Press)?
• Are reviewers or editorial board members listed on the journal’s website or within the journal?
• Does the publisher provide contact information?
• Is the number of rejected articles comparable to other reputable journals?

Locating and Accessing Titles

An easy way to find relevant journals in your field is through Library Services’ Discover Search and Collections Search page. To search for journals by title, use the lower search box labelled Nova Scotia Health Library Collections, and select the Journals tab. Your search results will show relevant journals that Library Services subscribes to electronically or owns in print.

Alternatively, you can select the upper search box labelled Discover and search for journals by title or subject. Refine your search results using the filters on the left side of the page. Select Journal (E) under Publication Type. Select Apply (F) to remove results that aren’t journals.

If you’re struggling to find full-text access to a particular journal article you need, access our Document Delivery form to request it. For help with searching, check out Library Services’ tutorials.

For information on any of Library Services’ resources, please reach out to AskLibrary@nshealth.ca.

References

1. Greenwood, D. C. (2007). Reliability of journal impact factor rankings. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 7(48), 48. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2206035/

McMaster University (n.d.). Scholarly vs. Popular Sources: Scholarly Peer Reviewed Journals. https://library.mcmaster.ca/research/scholarly-vs-popular-sources#tab-scholarly-peer-reviewed-journals

Laura Mounce

Librarian Educator
Halifax Infirmary, Central Zone