Development of obstetrical and gynecological journals, 2007 to 2013: a trend analysis

Purpose To analyze the trends and developments among journals in the specialty of obstetrics and gynecology. Methods Using the Journal Citation Reports from 2007 to 2013, we analyzed the impact factor (IF), Eigenfactor ® Score (ES), and Article Influence ® Score (AIS) of 43 journals in the field of obstetrics and gynecology published in this time period. Results From 78 journals of the Journal Citation Report 2013, 43 were selected for this study. The mean IF grew from 1.68 ± 0.97 in 2007 to 2.12 ± 1.05 in 2013, the ES from 0.0113 ± 0.0169 to 0.0114 ± 0.0140, and the AIS from 0.513 ± 0.302 to 0.663 ± 0.359. Differences in the IF, ES, and AIS between journals from the United States versus Europe could be observed. In most cases, the IF, ES, and AIS increased between 2007 and 2013. Strong correlations could be found between IF, AIS, and ES. Conclusions The overall mean IF for obstetrical and gynecological journals increased over the analyzed time period. The IF remains the standard measure to compare scientific journals. It correlates well with two major alternative measures of scientific impact, the ES and especially the AIS. Other measures are evolving and might show superior usage in the future.