Influential Kinesiology Journals: The View from Outside the Field

The purpose of this study was to document the top journals classified in the area of kinesiology in three bibliometric databases and the associations between the main bibliometric indicators reported through them. The Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports was searched for journals indexed (n = 85) in the sport sciences category for 2011. SCImago Journal and Country Rank was searched for journals indexed in the physical therapy, sport therapy, and rehabilitation (n = 70) and the orthopedics and sports medicine (n = 146) subject categories for 2011. Google Scholar Metrics was searched for the top 20 journals in the physical education and sports medicine subcategory. SCImago journal rank, percentage of uncited papers, impact factor, and Hirsch index (h-index) were analyzed for the top 40 kinesiology journals. The mean bibliometric variables for the top quartile kinesiology journals were qualitatively similar to related academic disciplines. Moderate associations between journal rank, impact factor, and h-index in the databases were observed; however, only weak inverse associations were found between percentage of uncited papers and journal rank and impact factor. External bibliometric indicators showed relatively consistent ratings of influence of top kinesiology journals, but the core kinesiology journals and their influence within the field still need to be defined.