Mõjufaktor

Mõjufaktor, often translated as impact factor, is a bibliometric measure used to evaluate the importance or influence of a scientific journal. It is calculated by Clarivate Analytics and published annually in their Journal Citation Reports. The calculation involves dividing the number of citations received by a journal's articles in a particular year by the total number of citable articles published in that journal during the preceding two years. A higher mõjufaktor suggests that articles published in that journal are more frequently cited by other researchers, implying a greater impact on the scientific community.

The mõjufaktor is widely used in academia for various purposes, including evaluating research quality, making decisions about journal subscriptions, and as a factor in researcher and institutional rankings. However, it is also subject to criticism. Critics argue that the mõjufaktor can be manipulated by journal editors through strategies such as increasing the number of review articles, which tend to be highly cited, or by encouraging self-citation. Furthermore, it does not account for the quality of individual articles within a journal, focusing solely on the journal's aggregate citation performance. There are also concerns that a reliance on mõjufaktor can distort research priorities, encouraging researchers to publish in high-impact journals rather than focusing on the substance of their work. Despite these criticisms, the mõjufaktor remains a significant, albeit debated, metric in scholarly communication.