WSJ.com - Science Journals Artfully Try To Boost Their Rankings

WSJ.com - Science Journals Artfully Try To Boost Their Rankings - Are the books, or in this case the journals, being cooked? According to a story by Sharon Begley in the Wall Street Journal, 5 June 2006, science journals may be trying to fudge the impact factors. Publishers may be trying to manipulate the factors since librarians rely on them in purchasing decisions. These decisions of course have an effect on the bottom line. Additionally, this practice may impact funding for research, relegating supposedly "less important" articles or publications to a funding dead zone.