Causes for the Persistence of Impact Factor Mania
Causes for the Persistence of Impact Factor Mania
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DOI：
10.1128/mbio.01342-14
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发表时间：
2014-06-03
期刊：
影响因子：
6.4
通讯作者：
Fang FC
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Casadevall A;Fang FC
许多文章已经解决了滥用期刊影响因子来判断科学价值的问题，但这种做法仍在继续，主要是由于科学家自己的行为。这种看似不理性的行为被称为“影响因子躁狂症”。虽然关于影响因子的文献是广泛的，但很少有关于影响因子躁狂症的根本原因的文章。从这个角度来看，我们认为影响因子狂热持续存在的原因及其对科学的有害影响。我们的结论是，影响因子狂热持续存在，因为它赋予了显着的好处，个别科学家和期刊。影响因子狂热是被称为“公地悲剧”的经济理论的一种变体，在这种理论中，科学家们为了自己的利益而理性地行事，尽管他们的行为对整个科学事业造成了有害后果。各种措施，以减少影响因素的影响被认为是。重要的科学和科学家目前正受到一种流行病的躁狂症表现为关联的价值研究的期刊发表的工作，而不是工作本身的内容。这种狂热正在导致科学研究方式的深刻扭曲，这对整个科学事业是有害的。在这篇文章中，我们考虑了对躁狂持续存在负责的力量，并得出结论认为，它之所以能维持下去，是因为它不成比例地有利于科学事业的要素，包括某些知名的科学家，期刊和行政利益。我们的文章提出了可以采取的措施来应对这种使人衰弱和破坏性的流行病。
Numerous essays have addressed the misuse of the journal impact factor for judging the value of science, but the practice continues, primarily as a result of the actions of scientists themselves. This seemingly irrational behavior is referred to as “impact factor mania.” Although the literature on the impact factor is extensive, little has been written on the underlying causes of impact factor mania. In this perspective, we consider the reasons for the persistence of impact factor mania and its pernicious effects on science. We conclude that impact factor mania persists because it confers significant benefits to individual scientists and journals. Impact factor mania is a variation of the economic theory known as the “tragedy of the commons,” in which scientists act rationally in their own self-interests despite the detrimental consequences of their actions on the overall scientific enterprise. Various measures to reduce the influence of the impact factor are considered.IMPORTANCEScience and scientists are currently afflicted by an epidemic of mania manifested by associating the value of research with the journal where the work is published rather than the content of the work itself. The mania is causing profound distortions in the way science is done that are deleterious to the overall scientific enterprise. In this essay, we consider the forces responsible for the persistence of the mania and conclude that it is maintained because it disproportionately benefits elements of the scientific enterprise, including certain well-established scientists, journals, and administrative interests. Our essay suggests steps that can be taken to deal with this debilitating and destructive epidemic.