Editorial: DESPITE MISUSE AND ABUSE, JOURNAL IMPACT FACTOR WILL RETAIN ITS IMPACT AND WON’T FADE AWAY SOON

Debate on the usefulness or otherwise of Journal Impact Factor continues and in fact it is now being increasingly discussed after the announcement of DORA declaration. The DORA statement was approved by 150 scientists and seventy-five scientific organizations during the American Society of Cell Biology meeting held at San Francisco in December 2012. Main objective of DORA was to stop the use of journal impact factor (IF) so as to correct distortions in evaluation of scientific research to judge an individual scientist work. DORA Guidelines call for eliminating the use of Journal Impact Factor in Funding, appointments and considering scientist for academic promotions (www.ascb.org/SFdeclaratin.html). It was pointed out that Impact Factor was initiated to measure the journal quality rather than assess and evaluate the individual scientists. Even some scientists are of the view that this Impact Factor mania makes no sense.