Comparison of bibliometric indicators in journals of geography indexed in Web of Science

Abstract

The quality of scientific journals, required for various purposes, is usually estimated by bibliometric indicators. This study investigates the behavior of these indicators related to journals classified as Geography and Physical Geography in Web of Science (year 2015). Results show that the impact of Physical Geography journals is greater than the Geography journals. In addition, there is an important degree of correlation and concordance in the classification in quartiles: same journals are in the top of the ranking in both categories. In order to improve the process of assessment of Geography journals by the scientific community, we propose the use of supplementary indicators to provide a complete perspective.