Ductor, L., Goyal, S., van der Leij, M. and Paez, G. N.

On the Influence of Top Journals

CWPE2029

Abstract: We study the evolution of the influence of journals over the period 1970-2017. In the early 1970's, a number of journals had similar influence. But by 1995, the `Top 5' journals ̶ QJE, AER, RES, Econometrica, and JPE ̶ had acquired a major lead; this dominance persists (with small changes) until 2017. To place these developments in a broader context we also study journal influence in sociology. The trends there have gone the other way ̶ the field journals rose in influence relative to the top general journals, over the same period. We present a model of journals as platforms to help explain the different trajectories of journal influence across time and across disciplines.

Keywords: research impact, Top 5 journals, academic publishing, citations

JEL Codes: A14 D85

Author links: Sanjeev Goyal  

PDF: https://www.econ.cam.ac.uk/research-files/repec/cam/pdf/cwpe2029.pdf

Open Access Link: https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.57978

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