Guidelines for publishing and indexing IUCN Specialist Group journals and newsletters

Obtaining an ISSN

The ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) is an eight-digit number that identifies periodical publications
as such, including electronic serials. Most established Specialist Group journals have an ISSN number (e.g.,
Pachyderm: ISSN 1026 2881). Typically, journals will have one ISSN number for their print edition, and one
ISSN number for their online edition. Further information and a direct application can be made online via
www.issn.org

Obtaining a DOI
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The Digital Object Identifier (DOI ) System is used to identify content objects (such as pdf's) in the electronic
environment (see www.doi.org). It is similar in concept to an ISBN and ISSN. DOI’s are commonly assigned
now to journal article pdf's, and indeed it is common practice for articles published online with downloadable
pdf's to be identified by means of a DOI. The utility of the DOI is that it serves as a unique digital barcode for
any published item, and for items published only on the web (as opposed to also having hardcopy print
versions), it confers formal published status to the item, as opposed to other digital web-based ephemera. Once
an item has a DOI it can always be cited and traced.

Each individual, web-based published pdf article needs to have its own DOI number, but the publication that the
article appears in also needs a covering DOI. Each publishing organization has a designated DOI base number.
For example, The Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group produces several journal publications,
including Chelonian Conservation and Biology, Turtle and Tortoise Newsletter, and Chelonian Research
Monographs. The journals are published by Chelonian Research Foundation, which has a base DOI number of
10.3854. This number was assigned by the International DOI Foundation (numbers may also be assigned by
registration agencies). Then, for example, within Chelonian Research Monographs, issue number 5
(Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises) has its own broad covering doi: 10.3854/crm.5. If
you enter that number on the DOI search screen (http://www.doi.org/) it takes you to the monograph entry page
(http://www.iucn-tftsg.org/cbftt/). Finally, each article has its own individual DOI number: for example,
Graptemys gibbonsi is at 10.3854/crm.5.029.gibbonsi.v1.2009. Again, entering this number on the DOI search
engine takes you directly to the species account (http://www.iucn-tftsg.org/graptemys-gibbonsi-029/), where one
can download the pdf.

Getting your journal listed in an indexing service

To be recognized as an authoritative, high-quality source of information, a journal must be widely available.

Indexing and abstracting services facilitate the broadest dissemination of information by pointing researchers to
articles that are relevant to the field. Once a journal is launched and has a track record of timely publication and
solid content, it is appropriate to contact indexing and abstracting services for consideration. There are a large
number of indexing and abstracting services available, including: Academic Search Premier (EBSCO);
Biological Abstracts (Thomson ISI); BIOSIS (Thomson ISI), CAB Abstracts; Zoological Record (Thomson
ISI), and so on. Different indexing services have different requirements to be included.

The premier indexing service is Science Citation Index-Expanded, which is available online through the Web of
Science interface managed by Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters considers many factors when evaluating
whether to cover a journal (or e-journal) in one of its citation indexes. The primary criterion is timeliness (i.e.,
getting issues published on schedule). To measure timeliness, Thomson Reuters request to see three consecutive
current issues, one after another, as soon as they are published. It will only consider current and forthcoming
issues, not back issues. For example, the editors of Small Carnivore Conservation recently started the process
for Thomson Reuters, and in line with the guidance above (the need for three issues to review for content
following the initial application process) it will be early in 2012 before they have a decision (since the journal
comes out twice annually). Other factors considered include the level of citation activity to the journal from the
titles that are already indexed, whether the journal follows international editorial conventions (e.g., complete
bibliographic information for all cited references; full author details), and the international relevance of the
journal. However, the subject coverage of the journal is also an important factor and journals in well-covered or
low-priority subjects may struggle to get selected. Finally, application of the peer-review process is sought.

For full details on the journal selection process by Thomson Reuters, see here:
http://thomsonreuters.com/products_services/science/free/essays/journal_selection_process/
For further information on how to submit an application to have your journal or newsletter indexed by Thomson
Reuters, visit: http://science.thomsonreuters.com/mjl/selection/

Obtaining an Impact Factor (IF)

Most Specialist Groups maintain their journals or newsletters not just as a forum for publishing research or
reviews, but also as a medium for short news stories, updates, funding opportunities, summaries of the latest
literature and so on. Consequently, not all Specialist Groups will be interested in turning their publications into
specialist peer-reviewed only journals. The following, therefore, is only for the handful of Specialist Groups
who do wish to have their publications seen as a highly attractive venue to publish peer-reviewed research in a
journal with an Impact Factor from Thomson Reuters. For more information on the Thomson Reuters Impact
Factor, see here:

http://thomsonreuters.com/products_services/science/free/essays/impact_factor/

The process is not straight-forward or easy, and even a few journals that have a track record of publishing
quality, peer-reviewed materials (like Endangered Species Research, published by Inter-Research), have found
it difficult to obtain an Impact Factor. The editors of Chelonian Conservation and Biology, currently the only
SG publication with an Impact Factor, applied unsuccessfully for Impact Factor ranking several times during the
early publishing years, not achieving acceptance until entering into a co-publishing arrangement with Allen
Press, a major publishing house specializing in professional zoological journals and web-based access. Having
finally achieved an Impact Factor has significantly increased the submission rate of scholarly articles for
publication in Chelonian Conservation and Biology, and raised its profile globally to become a leading source of
information on conservation and biology of all species of turtles, as well as raising the profile of the Specialist
Group.

The essential step towards obtaining an Impact Factor is to have one’s journal listed in Science Citation Index-
Expanded (see above). This is necessary before a journal then can be listed in the Journal Citation Reports and
given an Impact Factor. Note that even if a journal is selected for coverage in the Science Citation Index-
Expanded, it will be two to three years after coverage begins before the journal is listed in the Journal Citation
Reports.