Methodology for the evaluation of scientific journals: Aggregated Citations of Cited Articles

The criteria for the evaluation of scientific journals have changed from characteristics of its contents to citations of articles. Among many problems associated with citation-based evaluation methods are that it is applicable only to a limited number of journals, preferential selection of citable documents, differential values to citations, time duration for assessment, etc. The proposed index, Aggregated Citations of Cited Articles (ACCA), is calculated based on citations data, derived from only of cited articles, and therefore can be validated from standard database. While giving more importance to citations, the number of cited articles published in a journal also has some influence in the new index. The calculated values are consistent with time and can be used to back-track the status of a journal in its past and for continued evaluation. The new Index ensures neutrality, qualitative and quantitative hierarchy and consistency in the estimation of journal ranking.