SAGE continues to explore initiatives that recognize many aspects of social science impact

SAGE Publishing has released the five-year Journal Impact Factors (JIF) for the fourth year running, as part of a wider aim to improve how we measure and recognize impact in the social and behavioral sciences (SBS).

In this year’s report, 10 SAGE journals are first within the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) categories and 36 journals are in the top 25% of the Science Citation Index (SCI) category. Overall, 77 SAGE journals have received a top 10 category rank with six journals receiving their first Impact Factor (IF).

While citation data does not capture all aspects of research impact, SAGE believes this five-year metric provides a longer-term and more balanced picture than the standard two-year measure. This data is particularly significant for SBS, where citations are often slower to accrue, and the full impact of a research article is not always evident within a two-year period.  

As part of an ongoing goal to understand the broader impact of SBS and look beyond traditional citation-based measures, SAGE has set up a number of initiatives including its 10-Year Impact Awards which recognizes the long-term influence of research.

Other SAGE initiatives include:

• Various open research collections geared towards policy change

• Publishing numerous books, including the What Do We Know and What Can We Do About...? series, focused on important public policy issues

• The 2019 whitepaper “The Latest Thinking About Metrics for Research Impact in the Social Sciences”

• A curated section of the Social Science Space website that follows the conversation on measuring and promoting impact in the social and behavioral sciences

Learn more about SAGE’s work to broaden the Impact conversation on the SAGE Publishing website and view the full JIF results here. 

# # #

About SAGE Publishing

SAGE is a global academic publisher of books, journals, and a growing suite of library products and services.

Driven by the belief that social and behavioral science has the power to improve society, we focus on publishing impactful research, enabling robust research methodology, and producing high quality educational resources that support instructors to prepare the citizens, policymakers, educators and researchers of the future. We publish more than 1,000 journals and 600 new books globally each year, as well as library resources that include archives, data, case studies, video, and technologies for discovery, access, and engagement. SAGE’s founder, Sara Miller McCune, has transferred control of the company to an independent trust, guaranteeing its independence indefinitely.