A study of journal publication attributes: Some considerations for academics in the information systems discipline

This paper reports on research that examined the publication attributes of highly rated information systems journals. Publishing attributes investigated include journal age and size, circulation, number of articles published, annual subscription cost, frequency of publication and article length- attributes that have all been alluded to as being associated with journal standing and quality. The paper also argues that a journal's impact factor (JIF) encapsulates citation practices that are a reflection of the knowledge diffusion value of the journal- a characteristic that allowed the correlation between a journal's average 5-year JIF and associated publishing attributes to be investigated. The study used statistical analysis to determine that only two publishing attributes- circulation (0.417) and article length (0.432), were found to positively correlate with the averaged JIF and hence, assist with knowledge diffusion. Indeed, academics in their manuscript preparation may do well to consider circulation (journal reach) and journal article length (richness) as important publishing attributes that can be regarded as having the potential to contribute to the dissemination of scholarly knowledge.