{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,5]],"date-time":"2026-01-05T22:01:23Z","timestamp":1767650483674,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":16,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2002,4,1]],"date-time":"2002-04-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1017619200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2002,4,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Can the journal impact factors regularly published in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) be shaped by a self\u2010fulfilling prophecy? This question was investigated by reference to a journal for which incorrect impact factors had been published in the JCR for almost 20 years: Educational Research. In order to investigate whether the propagation of exaggerated impact factors had resulted in an increase in the actual impact of the journal, the correct impact factors were calculated. A self\u2010fulfilling prophecy effect was not observed. However, shows that the impact factors for Educational Research published in the JCR were based on calculations that erroneously included citations of a journal with a similar title, Educational Researcher, which is not included in the JCR. Concludes that published impact factors should be used with caution.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1108\/00220410210425449","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2002,7,28]],"date-time":"2002-07-28T19:02:27Z","timestamp":1027882947000},"page":"175-184","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["The impact factor as a phantom"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"58","author":[{"given":"Lydia L.","family":"Lange","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"key":"key2022012920270625100_b1","unstructured":"Cole, S. (1992), Making Science. Between Nature and Society, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA."},{"key":"key2022012920270625100_b2","unstructured":"Cole, S. (2000), \u201cThe role of journals in the growth of scientific knowledge\u201d, in Cronin, B. and Atkins, H.B. (Eds), The Web of Knowledge: A Festschrift in Honor of Eugene Garfield, Information Today, Inc., Medford, NJ, pp. 109\u201042."},{"key":"key2022012920270625100_b3","unstructured":"Cronin, B. (1984), The Citation Process, Taylor Graham, Oxford."},{"key":"key2022012920270625100_b4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Garfield, E. (1972), \u201cCitation analysis as a tool in journal evaluation, Science, Vol. 178 No. 4060, pp. 471\u20109.","DOI":"10.1126\/science.178.4060.471"},{"key":"key2022012920270625100_b5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kokko, H. and Sutherland, W.J. (1999), \u201cWhat do impact factors tell us?\u201d, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, Vol. 14 No. 10, pp. 382\u20104.","DOI":"10.1016\/S0169-5347(99)01711-5"},{"key":"key2022012920270625100_b6","unstructured":"Merton, R.K. (1979), \u201cForeword\u201d, in E. Garfield (Ed.), Citation Indexing \u2013 Its Theory and Application in Science, Technology, and Humanities, ISI Press, Philadelphia, PA."},{"key":"key2022012920270625100_b7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Merton, R.K. (1995), \u201cThe Thomas theorem and the Matthew effect\u201d, Social Forces, Vol. 74 No. 2, pp. 379\u2010424.","DOI":"10.2307\/2580486"},{"key":"key2022012920270625100_b8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Metcalfe, N.B. (1995a), \u201cJournal impact factors\u201d, Nature, Vol.  376, p. 720.","DOI":"10.1038\/376720b0"},{"key":"key2022012920270625100_b9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Metcalfe, N.B. (1995b), \u201cSerious bias in journal impact factors, Trends in Ecology and Evolution,  Vol. 10 No. 11, p. 461.","DOI":"10.1016\/S0169-5347(00)89182-X"},{"key":"key2022012920270625100_b10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Moed, H.F. and Van Leeuwen, T.N. (1995), \u201cImproving the accuracy of the Institute for Scientific Information\u2019s journal impact factors\u201d, Journal of the American Society for Information Science, Vol. 46 No. 6, pp. 461\u20107.","DOI":"10.1002\/(SICI)1097-4571(199507)46:6<461::AID-ASI5>3.0.CO;2-G"},{"key":"key2022012920270625100_b11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Moed, H.F. and Van Leeuwen, T.N. (1996), \u201cImpact factors can mislead\u201d, Nature,  Vol. 381,  p. 186.","DOI":"10.1038\/381186a0"},{"key":"key2022012920270625100_b12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Moed, H.F., Van Leeuwen, T.N. and  Reedijk, J. (1999), \u201cTowards appropriate indicators of journal impact\u201d, Scientometrics, Vol. 46 No. 3, pp. 575\u201089.","DOI":"10.1007\/BF02459613"},{"key":"key2022012920270625100_b13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Rousseau, R. and Van Hooydonk, G. (1996), \u201cJournal production and journal impact factors\u201d, Journal of the American Society for Information Science, Vol. 47, pp. 775\u201080.","DOI":"10.1002\/(SICI)1097-4571(199610)47:10<775::AID-ASI5>3.0.CO;2-#"},{"key":"key2022012920270625100_b14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Schoonbart, D. and Roelants, G. (1998), \u201cImpact takes precedence over interest\u201d, Nature, Vol. 391, p. 222.","DOI":"10.1038\/34519"},{"key":"key2022012920270625100_b15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Seglen, P.O. (1997), \u201cWhy the impact of journals should not be used for evaluating research\u201d, British Medical Journal, Vol. 314, pp. 498\u2010502.","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.314.7079.497"},{"key":"key2022012920270625100_b16","unstructured":"Thomas, W.I. and Thomas, D.S. (1928), The Child in America: Behaviour Problems and Programs, Alfred A. 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