Are the impact factor and other variables related to publishing time in ecology journals?

Estevao Alves-Silva (), Ana Carolina Figueira Porto, Carine Firmino, Henrique Venancio Silva, Ingrid Becker, Liegy Resende, Livia Borges, Luana Pfeffer, Marcela Silvano, Melina Santos Galdiano, Rafaella Silvestrini and Renan Moura
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Estevao Alves-Silva: Universidade Federal de Uberlândia
Ana Carolina Figueira Porto: Universidade Federal de Uberlândia
Carine Firmino: Universidade Federal de Uberlândia
Henrique Venancio Silva: Universidade Federal de Uberlândia
Ingrid Becker: Universidade Federal de Uberlândia
Liegy Resende: Universidade Federal de Uberlândia
Livia Borges: Universidade Federal de Uberlândia
Luana Pfeffer: Universidade Federal de Uberlândia
Marcela Silvano: Universidade Federal de Uberlândia
Melina Santos Galdiano: Universidade Federal de Uberlândia
Rafaella Silvestrini: Universidade Federal de Uberlândia
Renan Moura: Universidade Federal de Uberlândia

Scientometrics, 2016, vol. 108, issue 3, No 24, 1445-1453

Abstract: Abstract Besides the spread of knowledge, publications are often related to promotions and academic progression, so timing is vital. Among students in universities, there is a belief that a journal’s high impact factor means fast publishing time in ecology journals, such as the time between submission to acceptance and subsequent online posting in journal’s Web sites. Here we tested this assumption, and we also examined if a journal’s charges, paper length and the number of papers published per year were related to publishing time, specifically the period between submission and online availability of the accepted manuscript. After a thorough survey in 29 ecology journals, we found that publishing time was negatively and significantly related to journal’s impact factor, and also negatively (but non-significantly) to the number of paper published per year per journal and positively (but also not significantly) to paper length. Publishing time depended also on journal identity, but there was a large variation from the time between manuscript submission to final acceptance and online posting among journals. Several factors with a high degree of unpredictability and randomness are involved in the publication process, and here we found that journals with high impact factor publish the papers faster compared to journals with low factors. Even with substantial publishing time, e.g., on average 167 days between submission to acceptance and 223 days for online posting, editorial delays in ecology journals are quicker than journals in other disciplines/sciences.

Keywords: Acceptance; Academic progression; Scientific publication; Ecology; Publishing process; Affecting variables (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11192-016-2040-0

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