Transitioning from a Conventional to a ‘Mega’ Journal: A Bibliometric Case Study of the Journal Medicine

Simon Wakeling, Peter Willett, Claire Creaser, Jenny Fry, Stephen Pinfield and Valerie Spezi
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Simon Wakeling: Information School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 4DP, UK
Peter Willett: Information School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 4DP, UK
Claire Creaser: Library and Information Statistics Unit, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK
Jenny Fry: School of the Arts, English and Drama, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK
Stephen Pinfield: Information School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 4DP, UK
Valerie Spezi: Library and Information Statistics Unit, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK

Publications, 2017, vol. 5, issue 2, 1-11

Abstract: Open-Access Mega-Journals (OAMJs) are a relatively new and increasingly important publishing phenomenon. The journal Medicine is in the unique position of having transitioned in 2014 from being a ‘traditional’ highly-selective journal to the OAMJ model. This study compares the bibliometric profile of the journal Medicine before and after its transition to the OAMJ model. Three standard modes of bibliometric analysis are employed, based on data from Web of Science : journal output volume, author characteristics, and citation analysis. The journal’s article output is seen to have grown hugely since its conversion to an OAMJ, a rise driven in large part by authors from China. Articles published since 2015 have fewer citations, and are cited by lower impact journals than articles published before the OAMJ transition. The adoption of the OAMJ model has completely changed the bibliometric profile of the journal, raising questions about the impact of OAMJ peer-review practices. In many respects, the post-2014 version of Medicine is best viewed as a new journal rather than a continuation of the original title.

Keywords: mega-journal; open access; bibliometrics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A2 D83 L82 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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