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Measuring the citation impact of journals with generalized Lorenz curves

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  • Lando, Tommaso
  • Bertoli-Barsotti, Lucio

Abstract

To improve comparisons of journals, which are typically based on single-value indicators, such as the journal impact factor (JIF), this paper proposes a functional approach. We discuss interpretatively three progressively finer dominance relations. The first one corresponds to a comparison between the quantile functions of the citation distributions. The second one consists in comparing the integrals of the quantile functions—namely, the generalized Lorenz curves (GLCs). The third one consists in comparing the integrals of the GLCs, where the integration is designed to emphasize the role of the “central body” of the articles of the journal. Although dominance relations are generally not complete orders, we demonstrate with an empirical analysis that it is possible to increase significantly the proportion of pairs of journals that are comparable by moving from the first to the second criterion, and then from the second to the third.

Suggested Citation

  • Lando, Tommaso & Bertoli-Barsotti, Lucio, 2017. "Measuring the citation impact of journals with generalized Lorenz curves," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 689-703.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:infome:v:11:y:2017:i:3:p:689-703
    DOI: 10.1016/j.joi.2017.05.005
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    Cited by:

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    2. Fabio Zagonari, 2019. "Scientific Production and Productivity for Characterizing an Author’s Publication History: Simple and Nested Gini’s and Hirsch’s Indexes Combined," Publications, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-30, May.
    3. Bertoli-Barsotti, Lucio & Lando, Tommaso, 2019. "How mean rank and mean size may determine the generalised Lorenz curve: With application to citation analysis," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 387-396.

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