Impact factors and the h-index: what researchers and readers need to know.

摘要

In the Spring of 2008, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) was given a Journal Impact Factor for 2007 of 1.591 from the Journal Citation Report, a product of Thomson ISI (Institute of Scientific Information). Citation analyses and impact factor rankings are an objective means of rating quality. This impact factor of 1.591 means that A AC is ranked second by impact factor of the 22 journals that comprise the ISI Communication category, a pleasing result and a tribute to the high standards that have been set by the editorial board and authors. Journal impact factors for a given year (e.g., 2007) are always released the following year (e.g., 2008) so that all the year's citations can be published and collated before the impact factor for the year is calculated.