QUALITY AND IMPACT_Quality and impact

A scientific journal’s reputation is based on the rigour and transparency of its processes for selecting original manuscripts, on the reliability and regularity with which it is published, and on its scope and influence on the advancement of knowledge. For a specialised yet at the same time transdisciplinary journal such as Historia Agraria, this reputation is measured through the trust placed in it by experts reading its content and submitting their original manuscripts for possible publication in the subjects related to rural history, agriculture, food and the environment.

In a globalised world with enormous volumes of information at people’s fingertips, the visibility of publications and their assessment through objective parameters have become decisive factors. Instruments have therefore been designed for visibility and assessment both from the field of private business and from public institutions. The former is addressed through collections, repertoires and bibliographical databases that in some cases have now been published in printed format for more than a century, and more recently becoming available in an electronic version. As regards the latter goal -assessment- bibliometric indicators have been provided that use quantitative methods based on citations to address the measurement of quality and academic impact.

At Historia Agraria we believe these necessarily limited metrics should be viewed with cautious scepticism, as they do not distinguish between citations of authority and criticism, between a positive and negative impact. Yet this is no reason to dismiss them, if only because they provide an incentive to maintain a high level of exigency in our editorial processes. Our aim should be none other than quality at the service of our collaborators and readers.

Impact