Citation based journal-to-journal associations in the microcosm of an academic libraries consortium

Abstract

Scholarly journals are usually rated on the basis of the number of citations received which directly translates to impact in the advancement of research. In this paper, the emphasis is on considering citations as a means for unveiling journal-to-journal associations. An Academic Libraries Consortium could use such kind of information in the process of planning for the collection of journal titles (subscriptions) that best serves the needs of its research user community. The innovative contribution is summarized as follows: (a) journal research impact measures are considered in the context of the well-defined user community (Target Authors Group, TAG) of the Hellenic Academic Libraries Link (HEAL-Link) Consortium, and (b) research impact measures are used to reveal interesting journal-to-journal associations, as well as journals of an interdisciplinary value, specifically for the microcosm of the given TAG community. The research outcomes are publicized by means of a number of interactive graphs via the J2J-GR web service (https://j2j.heal-link.gr). The latter is expected to be of use not just for the HEAL-Link office staff, but also for all the interested researchers, in Greece or abroad.