Academic journals can artificially inflate their impact factor through specific editorial practices

the verdict

SUPPORTED

the evidence backs this

Recorded sources

3 sources for · 0 against

Counts group repeated records of the same source within each side. They do not measure evidence strength or source independence.

Is it true that academic journals can artificially inflate their impact factor through specific editorial practices?

Yes. Academic journals and editors can manipulate citation metrics and editorial policies to artificially enhance their impact factors.

Verdict: SUPPORTED · 3 sources for, 0 against · Last checked 4 Aug 2026

The analysis

The retrieved papers provide robust bibliometric and ethical evidence demonstrating that journals engage in practices like coordinated citation cartels, forced self-citations, and strategic publication of editorials to artificially inflate their impact factors. No papers refute the claim.

Evidence for · 3

The ethics of peer and editorial requests for self-citation of their work and journal.

2017

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JA, T. d. S. (2017). The ethics of peer and editorial requests for self-citation of their work and journal.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mjafi.2016.11.008

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More for · 2

Detecting anomalous citation groups in journal networks.

2021

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S, K., G, L., & N, M. (2021). Detecting anomalous citation groups in journal networks.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-93572-3

Comparison of journal and top publisher self-citation rates in COVID-19 research.

2024

Get citation

A, Q. (2024). Comparison of journal and top publisher self-citation rates in COVID-19 research.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314976

Related receipts

Is it true that academic institutions routinely utilize the h-index and journal impact factor for faculty evaluation? SUPPORTED related question, same topic
Is it true that editorial management systems improve the efficiency of academic journal publishing workflows? SUPPORTED related question, same topic
Is it true that academic journal reputation is driven by citation metrics and editorial selectivity? SUPPORTED related question, same topic
Is it true that open access journals have higher impact factors than subscription journals? CONTESTED PARTIAL related question, same topic
Mentioning journal impact factors and conference acceptance rates on an academic CV correlates with hiring success SUPPORTED related question, same topic

What does the evidence say?

also asked as

Is it true that academic journals can artificially boost their impact factor?
Can scholarly journals manipulate their editorial practices to raise their impact factor?
Do academic journals actually fake or inflate their impact metrics?
Are journals able to artificially increase their impact factor through editorial tricks?

Receipt History

first checked04 Aug 2026

judged → SUPPORTED · 8204 Aug 2026

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