Spanish scientific journals with impact factor in year 2000

Abstract

Thirty-one Spanish journals of high international visibility, with impact factor in the Journal Citations Report 2000 have been analysed. The following aspects have been considered: a) size and stability of the journal (number of documents per year, frequency of publication and age); b) editorial type (public or private); c) international scope (language, existence of an international editorial committee and percentage of foreign papers); d) impact (impact factor and normalised position); e) citation habits, including self-citations and self-references of journals.
Spanish journals are mostly of the medical area, of small size and low frequency of publication. The highest international scope is associated with basic areas, English language, the existence of an international editorial committee and high impact factor. Spanish journals show lower self-referencing rates and higher self-citation rates than European paradigmatic journals. The number of external citations received by the journals is the most influencing factor to explain their integration as «source journals» in the Science Citation Index.