Core journals in computer science

Attempts to identify the `core´ primary journals in the newly emerging discipline of computer science. Two measures of significance have been used to draw up a core list of journals: Productivity in terms of the number of source items drawn from each journal for review in a secondary journal (Computer Reviews); and extent of use, as reflected by the frequency with which the journals are cited in a leading primary journal (IEEE Transactions on Computers) over a period of two years. This study has shown that the primary journal is the most favored medium for scholarly communication, and that computer science journal literature has consolidated into a relatively few very productive and highly cited primary journals. These core journals are indispensable in any specialized collection of computer science literature.