Addressing the challenges in journal evaluation during the “covidization” of scientific research era: insights from the CAS journal ranking

Yahui Liu, Liying Yang, Jiandong Zhang and Zhesi Shen ()
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Yahui Liu: General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China
Liying Yang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jiandong Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zhesi Shen: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Palgrave Communications, 2025, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Journal impact measures are expected to demonstrate temporal stability, as journal quality typically remains consistent year-over-year. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted journal evaluation systems through an unprecedented surge in highly-cited publications. While conventional metrics like the Journal Impact Factor have shown high sensitivity to these citation patterns, the CAS Journal Ranking (CJR) system has demonstrated notable stability. This study compares three metrics—JIF, Category Normalized Citation Impact, and Field Normalized Citation Success Index (FNCSI, indicator used in CJR)—under different classification systems. We find that combining FNCSI with the CWTS paper-level classification system provides superior ranking stability. This robustness stems from FNCSI’s ability to moderate the influence of highly cited papers and paper-level system’s effective clustering of COVID-19 research.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-04681-7

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