Deciphering the numbers in journal metrics

The journal citation reports (JCR), which is an annual citation metric under Clarivate analytics, brings in a comparative analysis of journals across the globe, listed in their respective academic/clinical categories. There exist other equally prestigious portals like SCImago journal rankings by SCOPUS, PubMed Central, Medline, etc., all of which have their own evaluation criteria and values. However, JCR by Clarivate is the pinnacle competition among journals and their report displays the true position of a journal in its global per subject competition. JCR 2023 by Clarivate has brought immense prestige and honour for Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology (IJDVL). The journal scored a 2-year impact factor of 2.9 and maintained a 5-year impact factor of 3.1. The 2-year score reflects the immediate past performance, whereas the 5-year score shows the growth of a journal. In both ways, IJDVL’s performance is commendable.

The current score puts IJDVL in “Quartile 2” within its subject category of Clinical Dermatology across the globe and ranks at 25 among 70 journals in this subject category. Moving upwards from its position in Quartile 3 in the previous 2 years to currently in Quartile 2 not only brings prestige to the journal but also underscores that the editorial policies and the overall approach of IJDVL has been in the right direction. The JCR considers the metrics of the content published in the last 2 years; hence, this is the first time that the entire metrics is from the articles published in IJDVL, after it moved to its current publisher, Scientific Scholar. This clearly indicates that the decision has been headed in the right direction, as the overall production quality of the articles, strict adherence to defined timelines and the visibility of the content has been effectively and efficiently executed.

The journal has received 319 citations from the considered 109 publications with barely 35 self-citations which is just around 10% of self-citations. Although this is commendable, the journal would appreciate it if the content published in the journal is further appreciated by the IADVL members while publishing clinical content in other prestigious journals. Furthermore, the metrics indicate that had we published just nine articles less which didn’t get any citations, we would have gotten past an impact factor of 3. Therefore, going forward, we would be very happy to see if most of our published articles get citations. Support and encouragement from all IADVL members is requested in this regard.

We are thankful to the authors of the review article “The unprecedented epidemic-like scenario of dermatophytosis in India: I. Epidemiology, risk factors and clinical features” ¹ which brought the journal 19 citations and featured as the top cited article in the current metric calculations. This is followed by “Efficacy of salicylic acid peel in dermatophytosis” ² and “Type D personality is associated with poor quality of life, social performance, and psychological impairment in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis: A cross-sectional study of 130 patients” among the top three cited articles in the current analysis. ³ This indicates that reviews, both narratives and systematic, and original research articles with well-defined controls, randomized controlled trials, having proper institutional review board statements, etc., are the ones which the clinical community, the global author and reader base prefer to consume and reproduce.

Furthermore, the current analysis shows that the journal has received content from all major medical institutions and hospitals across the country and beyond. IJDVL has to maintain this growth spurt and keep growing in the right direction so that all potential authors from all over the globe see IJDVL as a desirable and primary option to submit their research content. It is a matter of immense prestige that authors across the nation as well as from overseas consider IJDVL as the journal of choice for dissemination of their clinical dermatology content.

Lastly, we are grateful to all our reviewers, who have been working tirelessly and contributing for the betterment of the journal. It is because of the committed and passionate editorial team that the journal has achieved such a milestone. I would also like to thank the past Editor-in-Chief Dr. Saumya Panda for his contribution towards the journal which has shown flying colours in the current metrics. We look forward to continuing the path of success ahead.

Long live IJDVL! And, Long live IADVL!