Progressive and Degenerative Journals: On the Growth and Appraisal of Knowledge in Scholarly Publishing

Abstract

Despite continued attention, finding adequate criteria for distinguishing “good” from “bad”scholarly journals remains an elusive goal. In this essay, I propose a solution informed by thework of Imre Lakatos and his methodology of scientific research programmes (MSRP). I beginby reviewing several notable attempts at appraising journal quality – focusing primarily on theimpact factor and development of journal blacklists and whitelists. In doing so, I note theirlimitations and link their overarching goals to those found within the philosophy of science. Iargue that Lakatos’s MSRP and specifically his classifications of “progressive” and“degenerative” research programmes can be analogized and repurposed for the evaluation ofscholarly journals. I argue that this alternative framework resolves some of the limitationsdiscussed above and offers a more considered evaluation of journal quality – one that helpsaccount for the historical evolution of journal-level publication practices and attendantcontributions to the growth (or stunting) of scholarly knowledge. By doing so, the seemingproblem of journal demarcation is diminished. In the process I utilize two novel tools (themistake index and scite index) to further operationalize aspects of the MSRP.

Making peer review evidence-based: It’s time to open the "black box"

“…Whatever the limitations of the studies and arguments described above, they indicate a paucity of research on peer review, the difficulty in studying it, and the reticence of scholarsand the systems which they compriseto self-reflect and evaluate their own functioning. This should give pause to those who take for granted peer review's role in the broader cultivation of social work knowledge (Dunleavy, 2020(Dunleavy, , 2021(Dunleavy, , 2022. In this remainder of this research note I examine why and how OPR rectifies some of the above issues, its benefits for social work research and education, and the various ways it may be implemented within the field of social work.…”