White paper

Evidence and Quality (Part 1): Is journal impact factor a reliable indicator of study quality?

A Pilot Study

Dr. Digant Gupta, MBBS, MPH; Dr. Amandeep Kaur, MS, PhD; Mansi Malik, MSc

Abstract

Through our combined experience as outcomes researchers at Bridge, we have observed many instances of observational studies of low quality being published in prestigious journals, and conversely, high-quality studies in low-impact journals. Data on whether journal quality (as measured by journal Impact Factor) can be used as a surrogate for the quality of studies published in that journal are limited. We present here the summary findings of a pilot study to investigate the relationship between journal Impact Factor and the methodological quality of real-world observational studies.

Link to White Paper