JNM tops impact factor rankings for imaging journals.

Imaging Journals The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM) has been ranked as the world’s most influential medical imaging journal, according to new data released on June 20 in the 2008 Journal Citation Reports, published by Thomson Reuters’ Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). For 2008, JNM earned an impact factor of 6.662, an increase of more than 12% from its 2007 statistic of 5.915 and more than a 33% increase from its 2006 ranking. The Thomson Reuters rating placed JNM ahead of other leading imaging journals, including Radiology, Neuroimage, and the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. JNM is the only medical imaging journal with an impact factor above 6.0 this year. The Thomson Reuters ISI measures a journal’s impact— or significance—based on the number of article citations compared to the total number of articles published. The impact factor—a quantitative measure of the frequency with which an article in a journal is cited—is used to gauge the overall influence of a journal within the scientific, professional, and academic communities. ‘‘JNM’s significance as a professional resource continues to grow—even as the field becomes more competitive and the number and quality of imaging journals increases,’’ said editor-in-chief Heinrich R. Schelbert, MD, PhD. ‘‘The Thomson Reuters impact factor is a quantitative representation of what we have been experiencing firsthand over the past year. The number of submissions to the JNM continues to increase. This means that publication in the journal is even more competitive and more prestigious.’’ Journal Citation Reports also publishes an immediacy index for journals as an indicator of the speed with which reference citations to a specific journal appear in other peer-reviewed literature. JNM’s immediacy index for 2008 is 0.956, placing it in the top 3% of medical imaging journals. At the same time, the total number of JNM citations rose to more than 19,000—an increase of nearly 20%. The impact factor has grown in importance as it has been integrated into metrics for academic evaluation (including those used in faculty promotion and tenure), first in Europe and now increasingly in the United States. Impact factors also provide librarians with a tool to effectively manage journal subscriptions and make judicious purchasing decisions. Under various corporate names, the ISI has presented quantifiable statistical data on journal impact and influence for more than 45 y. ‘‘JNM has become a go-to resource for nuclear medicine and molecular imaging professionals,’’ said Michael Graham, MD, PhD, president of SNM. ‘‘In addition, the journal continues to receive increased recognition by professionals working in oncology, cardiology, neurology, (Continued on page 15N)