A scientometric assessment of the information loss caused by the delays in publication of Chinese science journals

Abstract

Based on the second order plus time delay transfer function model of the journal publication delay process, we establish a mathematical model of information loss caused by publication delays. Then we collect elementary data on publication delays from over 3000 articles in 18 Chinese journals in four subjects and respectively assess information loss caused by publication delays using the model; thus the validity of the model is demonstrated. The information loss caused by publication delays in Chinese science journals is serious, especially in mathematics. Final statistical and analytical results indicate that delays in publication of some Western journals are also noticeable.

Keywords

publication delay Chinese scientific journal information loss mathematical model

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

H.Y. Zhou , The study of loss in information transfer , Modern Information(2) (2001) 27–28 .

G. Yu and D.R. Yu , Identification of dynamic model of journal literature publishing process , Journal of the China Society for Science and Technical Information 15(2) (1996) 146–153 .

M. Luwel and H.F. Moed , Publication delays in the science field and their relationship to the aging of scientific literature , Scientometrics 41(1–2) (1998) 26–40 .

P.K. Trivedi , An analysis of publication lags in econometrics , Journal of Applied Econometrics 8 (1993) 93–100 .

G. Ellison , The slowdown of the economics publishing process , Journal of Political Economy 110(5) (2002) 947–993 .

D.J. Torgerson et al., Submission to multiple journals: a method of reducing time to publication , British Medical Journal 330 (2005) 305–307 .

L. Egghe and R. Rousseau , The influence of publication delays on the observed aging distribution of scientific literature , Journal of the American Society for Information Science 51(2) (2000) 158–165 .

M. Marchi and M. Rocchi , The editorial policies of scientific journals: testing an impact factor model , Scientometrics 51(2) (2001) 395–404 .

G. Yu , D.R. Yu and Y.H. Rong , The mathematical model of the periodical literature publishing process , Information Processing and Management 36(3) (2000) 401–414 .

10.

C.Z. Fang and D.Y. Xiao , Process Identification ( Tsinghua University Press, Beijing 1988).

11.

G. Yu , Y.H. Rong and Y.J. Li , Mathematical model of delay in the secondary literature publishing process , Scientometrics 58(3) (2003) 673–685 .

12.

G. Yu , D. R.Yu and Y.J. Li , The universal equations of periodical average publication delay at steady state , Scientometrics 60(2) (2004) 231–245 .

13.

S.P. Harter and T.K. Park , Impact of prior electronic publication on manuscript consideration policies of scholarly journals , Journal of the American Society for Information Science 51(10) (2000) 940–948 .

14.

L. Zhang and F.L. Zhang , Shortening publication time lag and improving value of papers in use , Chinese Editor Journal(5) (2003) 331–332