Abstract
Impact factor of three Spanish journals of psychology. The present study considers the necessity to study the impact factor of spanish psychology journals. In order to show the viability of this type of study, three of the most representative journals of spanish Psychology were selected: Papeles del Psicólogo, Análisis y Modificación de Conducta y Psicothema. As sources are used all those psychology journals that are edited in spanish and have published all their issues for the year 2003 and that they fulfill some given selections criterions. The bibliometric analysis was made by six psychologists previously trained in an exhaustive procedure. The results indicate that the three journals analyzed have a considerable impact factor for the year 2003: Análisis y Modificación de Conducta (IF= 1,05); Papeles del Psicólogo (IF= 0,76) and Psicothema (IF= 0,60). This shows that the first two journals have an important impact factor in spite of not being included in the Journal Citation Reports and that Psicothema would actually have a greater impact factor if these journals (these analyzed here) were included in the databases of the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). At Psicothema's specific case, it is argumented that the IF obteined in this study (IF= 0,60) is more valid than the one aported by ISI (IF= 0,408) for 2003. As a conclusion it is illustrated the necessity to make this type of analysis for all spanish journals of psychology.
