The Clinical Impact of Medical Journals
Authors: Katrice D. Cain, Bindu R. Sehgal, Kenneth E. Covinsky, David C. Kaelber, Ashwini R. Sehgal
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2016)

Letters2 August 2016The Clinical Impact of Medical JournalsKatrice D. Cain, MA, Bindu R. Sehgal, MD, Kenneth E. Covinsky, MD, MPH, David C. Kaelber, MD, PhD, MPH, and Ashwini R. Sehgal, MDKatrice D. Cain, MAFrom Center for Reducing Health Disparities, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; Premier Physicians Centers, Westlake, Ohio; San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Center for Clinical Informatics Research and Education, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio;and Center for Reducing Health Disparities, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.Search for more papers by this author, Bindu R. Sehgal, MDFrom Center for Reducing Health Disparities, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; Premier Physicians Centers, Westlake, Ohio; San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Center for Clinical Informatics Research and Education, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio;and Center for Reducing Health Disparities, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.Search for more papers by this author, Kenneth E. Covinsky, MD, MPHFrom Center for Reducing Health Disparities, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; Premier Physicians Centers, Westlake, Ohio; San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Center for Clinical Informatics Research and Education, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio;and Center for Reducing Health Disparities, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.Search for more papers by this author, David C. Kaelber, MD, PhD, MPHFrom Center for Reducing Health Disparities, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; Premier Physicians Centers, Westlake, Ohio; San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Center for Clinical Informatics Research and Education, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio;and Center for Reducing Health Disparities, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.Search for more papers by this author, and Ashwini R. Sehgal, MDFrom Center for Reducing Health Disparities, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; Premier Physicians Centers, Westlake, Ohio; San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Center for Clinical Informatics Research and Education, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio;and Center for Reducing Health Disparities, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M16-1096 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Background: Traditionally, medical journals are ranked by impact factor (IF), a measure produced yearly by Thomson Reuters that examines frequency of citation of their articles in other journal articles (1, 2). Editors use IF to compare their journals with peer journals (3); authors consider IF when deciding where to submit manuscripts (4); and decisions about faculty promotion, tenure, and grant funding are often influenced by publication in high IF journals (4). The IF provides information on the relevance of a publication to researchers but provides little information on its relevance to clinicians. Measures to assess the clinical impact of journals ...References1. Garfield E. The history and meaning of the journal impact factor. JAMA. 2006;295:90-3. [PMID: 16391221] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports. Accessed at http://thomsonreuters.com/en/products-services/scholarly-scientific-research/research-management-and-evaluation/journal-citation-reports.html on 29 April 2016. Google Scholar3. Chew M, Villanueva EV, Van Der Weyden MB. Life and times of the impact factor: retrospective analysis of trends for seven medical journals (1994-2005) and their Editors' views. J R Soc Med. 2007;100:142-50. [PMID: 17339310] MedlineGoogle Scholar4. The impact factor game, It is time to find a better way to assess the scientific literature. PLoS Med. 2006;3:e291. [PMID: 16749869] MedlineGoogle Scholar5. Nakayama T, Fukui T, Fukuhara S, Tsutani K, Yamazaki S. Comparison between impact factors and citations in evidence-based practice guidelines [Letter]. JAMA. 2003;290:755-6. [PMID: 12915427] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Center for Reducing Health Disparities, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; Premier Physicians Centers, Westlake, Ohio; San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Center for Clinical Informatics Research and Education, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio;and Center for Reducing Health Disparities, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.Acknowledgment: The authors thank Peter Bonis and Terrence Jiang for help in obtaining data on UpToDate citations.Grant Support: In part by grants MD002265 and UL1TR000439 from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M16-1096.This article was published at www.annals.org on 14 June 2016.This article was published at www.annals.org on 14 June 2016. 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