"What is the impact factor of Resonance, the Journal of Science Education?" He asked me.
"Sorry, I don't know." I said.
"Then why did you publish your article in Resonance? As a researcher you should know the rating of the journals in which you wish to publish." He doesn't want to spare me.
"There are many reasons for us to choose Resonance. Mainly, none of us (Prof. Sabu Thomas, Dr. Nandakumar Kalarikkal, Dr. Asaletha and I) belong to the so called new generation researchers. We belong to the old school.
Ambitious and career oriented researchers always consider the impact factor of the journal before they send their paper for publication. They do another research on the number of issues per year, impact factor, reviewing process etc. Sometimes this research is deeper than the actual research addressed in the paper (haha.... ha). It is not criticism, not sarcasm either. Because it is not a criminal offense and we all need to do it. But it is important to consider the other side also, at times.
Resonance is an interdisciplinary journal, which is not devoted to any specific subject. It includes articles which discuss the fundamental concepts, history, philosophy, ethics and aesthetics in an attractive way useful for the students, researchers and teachers. We love reading the articles in it. We like the layout and design of the journal as well.
More importantly, we don't see the frustrating messages like 'your library is not subscribed to this journal.' or 'purchase this article for $....' when we try to download an article which fascinated us by its writing style or quality of work. Resonance articles can be downloaded free of cost by anyone from anywhere. The Indian Academy of Sciences (with Springer Publishers) is doing an invaluable service to the society in this regard.
We strongly believe that once published, the intellectual output of any research work belongs to the entire humanity, if the research is carried out with public fund.
Now we would like to share a secret with you. We learn tremendously when we write a general article. Because we read anything and everything related to the subject. In this particular article, we have read books on polymers, engineering mechanics, acoustics and physics. We realize that writing a research paper is much easier than writing a Resonance article. Transforming a complex subject into simple language and writing it in short, simple sentences is really an exhausting and challenging task. But it is rewarding!!!
All these reasons tempted us to be a part of this great endeavour. Fortunately, we all possess the same ideology (at least) in this case and so we didn't bother about the impact factor when we wrote the second article for Resonance.
But still we wanted to know the reason for not mentioning the impact factor. It reflects the average number of citations to articles published in journals, books, patent, thesis, etc. Resonance is a journal of science education supporting pedagogy; not research journal. Since it doesn't discuss recent research outcome, it will not be referred to in other research papers. So there is no point in finding out its impact factor.
However, it is really sad to know that many beautiful Resonance articles written by veterans remain unread. We really feel that the visibility and reach of the articles have to be increased, though we don't over-emphasize the impact factor. So I feel, it is my moral responsibility to spread the word about it. At least among the readers of this blog....
Are there any ways to enhance the visibility of Resonance without altering its style, goal and lay-out? The editorial board may stipulate that a small, but considerable portion (say 10℅) of the article should discuss the recent developments in the field. This necessitates the inclusion of references from research papers. These references should be very relevant, important and provide idea for further research in the field. Hope this will encourage the researchers to read Resonance articles.
It is pertinent that the researchers who consider their work seriously should learn the basics of their subject thoroughly. A building without proper foundation will collapse in no time. And you can't build another storey over this building. Resonance articles help us reinforce the fundamental concepts. If you find an article in Resonance is useful, show minimum courtesy to the authors; refer it in your research paper.
This is our perspective.
But the editorial board may not want to change the present style as they have a different vision about the journal.
No complaints... We love Resonance in its current form...
"Sorry, I don't know." I said.
"Then why did you publish your article in Resonance? As a researcher you should know the rating of the journals in which you wish to publish." He doesn't want to spare me.
"There are many reasons for us to choose Resonance. Mainly, none of us (Prof. Sabu Thomas, Dr. Nandakumar Kalarikkal, Dr. Asaletha and I) belong to the so called new generation researchers. We belong to the old school.
Ambitious and career oriented researchers always consider the impact factor of the journal before they send their paper for publication. They do another research on the number of issues per year, impact factor, reviewing process etc. Sometimes this research is deeper than the actual research addressed in the paper (haha.... ha). It is not criticism, not sarcasm either. Because it is not a criminal offense and we all need to do it. But it is important to consider the other side also, at times.
Resonance is an interdisciplinary journal, which is not devoted to any specific subject. It includes articles which discuss the fundamental concepts, history, philosophy, ethics and aesthetics in an attractive way useful for the students, researchers and teachers. We love reading the articles in it. We like the layout and design of the journal as well.
More importantly, we don't see the frustrating messages like 'your library is not subscribed to this journal.' or 'purchase this article for $....' when we try to download an article which fascinated us by its writing style or quality of work. Resonance articles can be downloaded free of cost by anyone from anywhere. The Indian Academy of Sciences (with Springer Publishers) is doing an invaluable service to the society in this regard.
We strongly believe that once published, the intellectual output of any research work belongs to the entire humanity, if the research is carried out with public fund.
Now we would like to share a secret with you. We learn tremendously when we write a general article. Because we read anything and everything related to the subject. In this particular article, we have read books on polymers, engineering mechanics, acoustics and physics. We realize that writing a research paper is much easier than writing a Resonance article. Transforming a complex subject into simple language and writing it in short, simple sentences is really an exhausting and challenging task. But it is rewarding!!!
All these reasons tempted us to be a part of this great endeavour. Fortunately, we all possess the same ideology (at least) in this case and so we didn't bother about the impact factor when we wrote the second article for Resonance.
Why is it not mentioned?
But still we wanted to know the reason for not mentioning the impact factor. It reflects the average number of citations to articles published in journals, books, patent, thesis, etc. Resonance is a journal of science education supporting pedagogy; not research journal. Since it doesn't discuss recent research outcome, it will not be referred to in other research papers. So there is no point in finding out its impact factor.
However, it is really sad to know that many beautiful Resonance articles written by veterans remain unread. We really feel that the visibility and reach of the articles have to be increased, though we don't over-emphasize the impact factor. So I feel, it is my moral responsibility to spread the word about it. At least among the readers of this blog....
Are there any ways to enhance the visibility of Resonance without altering its style, goal and lay-out? The editorial board may stipulate that a small, but considerable portion (say 10℅) of the article should discuss the recent developments in the field. This necessitates the inclusion of references from research papers. These references should be very relevant, important and provide idea for further research in the field. Hope this will encourage the researchers to read Resonance articles.
It is pertinent that the researchers who consider their work seriously should learn the basics of their subject thoroughly. A building without proper foundation will collapse in no time. And you can't build another storey over this building. Resonance articles help us reinforce the fundamental concepts. If you find an article in Resonance is useful, show minimum courtesy to the authors; refer it in your research paper.
This is our perspective.
But the editorial board may not want to change the present style as they have a different vision about the journal.
No complaints... We love Resonance in its current form...
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