Accessibility: An Alternative Method of Ranking Marketing Journals?

Instead of using citations or marketing academics’ perceptual ranking of journals, this article examines the ranking of marketing journals using Australian university library holdings, in either hard copy or full-text electronic format. This measure was used as a proxy for broad-based accessibility of marketing journals. The study found that the accessibility rankings differed significantly from the most recent U.S. perceptual rankings, and it is suggested that in some situations, the accessibility ranking may be a more appropriate measure than other approaches. An examination of journal characteristics and their relationship to holdings in Australian university libraries was also undertaken. It was found that the year in which the journal started publication and its perceived importance within the United States (i.e., perceptual ranking) had a statistical impact on the proportion of Australian university libraries holding the journal.