[csaa-forum] removal of journal ranking system

[James Arvanitakis]

Hey everyone

I am also pleased with this - though always nervous about what is around the corner

The journal ranking system has been devastating to emerging researchers.

Friends and colleagues have asked me 'how to publish in an A* journal' - and feel rejected if they fail. I have always responded that good quality research should be published in the appropriate journal and the rankings are arbitrary - and will change. This was confirmed to me by a publisher I met while in Europe who was literally laughing at the rankings system. He said some of his weakest and moribund journals had received A rating and had been revived from the decision - but could find no reason why this was the case. Meanwhile, excellent journals get a low ranking and people have chosen to ignore them.

We then compared an 'A Journal' that averages an average of 3.4 readers to a newspaper piece based on our research that has 10,000 reads: how should these compare?

While I have been lucky to be surrounded by excellent mentors and have supported my decision to ignore rankings, I have seen senior management at certain universities base their entire decision-making around the ranking system. Maybe if we are ever faced with such a system, we can agree to boycott it.

Thanks to those who put up a good fight on this

James Arvanitakis, PhD

Senior Lecturer - School of Humanities and Languages
Head of Program - Dean Scholars
Research member - Centre for Cultural Research
Member of the Ally Program for GLBIT students
Fellow - Centre for Policy Development

www.jamesarvanitakis.net<https://email.uws.edu.au/owa/redir.aspx?C=b8a0230cbcb44c06b284e6f5777c2892&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.jamesarvanitakis.net>

Harper Lee: Real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.

University of Western Sydney
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Ph: +61-47360391
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www.uws.edu.au<https://email.uws.edu.au/owa/redir.aspx?C=b8a0230cbcb44c06b284e6f5777c2892&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.uws.edu.au>



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