Contribution of a special issue on Antarctic research to the AABC impact factorAs is well known, Antarctica is one of the last frontiers of knowledge on our planet. Despite the logistical challenges of accessing the continent and developing research in the region, which requires a significant financial effort, many countries are developing studies in this inhospitable corner of the world – a necessary undertaking (e.g., Kellner 2022a). This is also the case of Brazil, which through the Brazilian Antarctic Program (PROANTAR) has coordinated all scientific activities in this region since 1982 (Simões et al. 2022).
In order to contribute to the important scientific activities carried out in this region, the Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (AABC) have encouraged the organization of special issues concerning this area, not limited to studies developed by Brazilian scientists. The first of these issues was organized by Jefferson Simões, Marcelo Leppe and Juliana Sayão and published in 2022. It was dedicated to Antonio Carlos Rocha Campos (Santos 2022), who was one of the pioneers in developing and inspiring research on the frozen continent. More issues have been organized (Simões et al. 2023), including the present one.
Some years ago, I started developing some brief surveys trying to get an overview of how papers published in different scientific fields are contributing to the bibliometric indexes of the AABC (e.g., Kellner 2022b). Here, I briefly analyze how the issue focused on Antarctica published in 2022 (AABC 94.Suppl.1) has influenced the 2023 Impact Factor (AABC IF-2023) of this journal.
In addition to the editorial note, foreword, and one letter, the AABC 94.Suppl.1 has a total of 57 papers covering the following fields: Chemical Sciences (ChSci – 1), Health Sciences (HeSci – 2), Cellular and Molecular Biology (CeMoBio – 1), Microbiology (Mcbio – 11), Ecosystems (Ecosy – 7), Geosciences (Geosci – 25), Paleontology (Paleo – 2), Animal Science (AnSci – 2), Soil Science (SoiSci – 3), and Social Sciences (SocSci – 3). All 57 papers considered citable by the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) were retrieved. By chance, I discovered that in one article the title presented in the survey of the AABC IF-2023 (Clarivate 2024) was misspelled (lakes was replaced by takes, Petsch et al. 2022).
A total of 22 articles were not cited in 2023, resulting in an Article Citation Factor (ACF, see Kellner 2020a) of 0.6140, while 22 were cited at least twice (Table I). If only the papers published in AABC 94.Suppl.1 were considered, the IF would only be a slightly higher (AABC 94.Suppl.1 IF-2023 – 1.2456) than the AABC IF-2023 (1.1) published by Clarivate (2024). The Reescalated Article Impact Factor (RAIF), an index that provides a sense of the results if only cited papers were considered for the IF calculation (see Kellner 2020a), the values recovered in the present analysis tend to be higher compared with several areas (e.g., Kellner 2020b). This is very interesting, since the AABC 94.Suppl.1 issue was published in 2022, with some articles becoming available for less time than others published in the previous year (2021), and which were able to obtain more citations and, thus, positively influence the AABC IF-2023. A further analysis in 2025 might show that the contribution of this special issue (AABC 94.Suppl.1) in the AABC IF-2024 will likely increase compared to the contribution of AABC IF-2023.
Citations and indexes referring to the articles published in the special issue AABC 94.Suppl.1 that were considered in the AABC IF-2023.
Finally, I would like to thank Jefferson Simões, Viviana Alder, and Juliana Sayão for their efforts in putting this third special issue on Antarctic research together. Despite the excessive importance given to bibliometric indexes, what ultimately counts are the important scientific contributions of the authors presented in their articles, as is the case in this publication.
REFERENCES
-
CLARIVATE. 2024. First time Journal Citation Reports. https://mjl.clarivate.com/search-results Accessed 25/August/2024.
» https://mjl.clarivate.com/search-results - KELLNER AWA. 2020a. Development of Agrarian Sciences at the AABC with comments on impact and performance evaluations. An Acad Bras Cienc 92: e202092S1. DOI 10.1590/0001-3765202092S1.
- KELLNER AWA. 2020b. A brief summary of the impact and performance of different scientific fields at the AABC. An Acad Bras Cienc 92: e2020924. DOI 10.1590/0001-37652020924.
- KELLNER AWA. 2022a. Research in Antarctica – challenging but necessary. An Acad Bras Cienc 94: e202294S1. DOI 10.1590/0001-37652022202294S1.
- KELLNER AWA. 2022b. Special volume on Biodiversity at the AABC. An Acad Bras Cienc 94: e202294S4. DOI 10.1590/0001-37652022202294S4.
- PETSCH C, DA ROSA KK, DE OLIVEIRA MAG, VELHO LF, SILVA SLC & SOTILLE ME, VIEIRA R & SIMÕES JC. 2022. An inventory of glacial lakes in the South Shetland Islands (Antarctica): temporal variation and environmental patterns. An Acad Bras Cienc 94: e20210683. DOI 10.1590/0001-37652022020210683.
- SANTOS PR. 2022. Obituary of Professor Antonio Carlos Rocha-Campos (1937 – 2019). An Acad Bras Cienc 94: e20220206. DOI 10.1590/00013765202220220206.
- SIMÕES JC, CARTES ML & SAYÃO JM. 2022. Forty years of Brazilian Antarctic research: A tribute to Professor Antonio Carlos Rocha-Campos. An Acad Bras Cienc 94: e20220493. DOI 10.1590/0001-3765202220220493.
- SIMÕES JC, ALDER V & SAYÃO JM. 2023. Forty years of Brazilian Antarctic research: A second volume. An Acad Bras Cienc 95: e20231270. DOI 10.1590/0001-3765202320231270.
Publication Dates
-
Publication in this collection
16 Dec 2024 -
Date of issue
2024
