Each June, numbers are released that could affect the careers of many researchers. The numbers are the rankings from the annual Journal Citation Reports, which note how often publications have been cited by researchers writing for other publications. The more a journal’s papers are cited by researchers in their papers, as measured by the JCRs, the more its published research is regarded as leading-edge. For many researchers, publishing in a highly cited journal is a mark of distinction.

The JCRs, produced by Thomson Scientific, cover more than 7500 peer-reviewed journals in approximately 200 disciplines, including categories relevant to the IEEE. Journals are ranked using a formula Thomson calls the impact factor, which it defines as “a measure of the frequency with which the ‘average article’ in a journal has been cited in a particular year or period.” It is calculated by dividing the number of citable items published in a journal during the previous two years by the number of current-year citations of those items. The measurement reflects not just the number of citations a journal receives but how quickly it receives them.

STANDOUTS IEEE journals continue to stand out, as they have for years. The latest JCR report, which ranks journals published in 2006, finds that the IEEE publishes 17 of the top 20 journals in the field of electrical and electronic engineering; the top 10 journals in telecommunications; seven of the top 10 in computer hardware and architecture; seven of the top 20 in computer information systems; nine of the top 20 in software engineering; and high-ranking journals in robotics, aerospace engineering, and automation control.

Those numbers have proven remarkably consistent over time. According to the JCR, the IEEE published the top 18 journals in electrical and electronic engineering in 2003, 2004 and 2004, and 9 of the top 10 telecommunications journals in both 2003 and 2005. IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, in particular, has remained the No. 1 journal in imaging science and photographic technology since the category was introduced by the JCR in 2000.

Other top journals include IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis (No. 2 in the electrical and electronic engineering), IEEE Wireless Communication Magazine (No. 1 in telecommunications) and IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control (No. 1 in automation control).

The IEEE also publishes top-ranking journals in what might be considered "non-core" technology disciplines such as IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, No. 3 in its field; IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, No. 3 in nuclear science and technology; and IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation, No. 4 in civil engineering.

CITATIONS AND CAREERS The rankings are beneficial not only for the IEEE but also for the authors of the cited papers. “Researchers are often promoted on the basis of the quality of their research as measured through journal publications and citations,” says Desmond P. Taylor, an IEEE Fellow and director of journals for the IEEE Communications Society. “By publishing in highly cited journals, they are getting, so to speak, the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. It’s a mark of distinction to publish in a Top 10 journal.”

JCR rankings also can have a direct impact on academic careers, at least in North America. “The fact that a young faculty member has published a number of papers in a top-flight journal can have an influence on the tenure decision at his or her university,” Taylor says

The high rank of IEEE titles also reflects the reach of its publications. ““When you're doing such high quality, you enjoy the rewards, which are high ratings, and IEEE journals have very high online reading rates,” says John F. Pape, marketing manager for the IEEE Communications Society. “Put high ranking and high usage together and you have new methods of quantifying where you stand—a metric for online status.”

Taylor says JCR results can help build readership for certain publications. “For our transactions-type journals, the main readership consists of a relatively static group of professional researchers, development engineers, and postgraduate students,” he explains. “On the other hand, our magazines attract a large but rotating audience of professionals and industrial managers. They want to know they’re reading the top magazine, and this factor has an influence in expanding readership.”

High citation rates also affect the papers the journals attract. “High rates allow journals to attract high-quality papers,” Taylor says.

For a complete list of IEEE rankings in the 2006 JCRs, visit http://www.ieee.org/web/publications/journmag/journalcitations.html.