The relevance of scientific journals is often assessed using various bibliometric indicators, among which the 2-year impact factor (IF2) and the 5-year impact factor (IF5) hold a preeminent role. A forthcoming study to be published in Acta Herpetologica evaluates and compares these metrics for 18 herpetological journals listed in the 2025 JCR database.

The analysis focuses on 18 journals, primarily based in the United States and Europe. Most have broad thematic scopes and accept manuscripts on all amphibians and reptiles worldwide; only one journal is devoted exclusively to African herpetofauna, while another specializes in chelonians.

The results reveal pronounced heterogeneity among herpetological journals. Differences are evident in submission procedures and publication frequency: half of the journals publish four issues per year, while the remainder publish three or fewer. Despite this variation, the number of annual issues showed no correlation with IF5. Moreover, between 2013 and 2024, IF2 remained largely stable across most journals, although four displayed a markedly positive trend.

The study also found that society-owned journals tend to have slightly higher IF5 values than privately owned ones. However, IF5 does not appear to correlate with other examined metrics, such as the number of Gold Open Access papers, the volume of citable items, or the number of annual issues. Society-owned journals typically maintain high ethical standards and implement rigorous peer-review processes, enabling them to consistently publish high-quality research. As such, they merit strong consideration when selecting a venue for manuscript submission.

Read the full paper to explore the complete analysis.

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