Factors Affecting Journal Citation Scores: Evidence from Elsevier’s Practices

Enhancing journal quality is one of the main concerns of academic journal stakeholders. This study identifies the factors affecting citation scores from various perspectives, including the review process, editorial board composition, geographic distribution of authors, and journal type. To achieve this, we analyzed 111 fully open access journals and 439 subscription journals published by Elsevier. The estimation results of citation scores using ordinary least squares show that journals with lower acceptance rates and longer review periods have higher citation scores, suggesting that rigorous peer review is essential for improving journal quality. Editorial boards with more members and greater international diversity also contribute to higher citation scores. However, these measures have already been adopted by many publishers and are not novel, implying that publishers must continue their steady efforts to enhance journal quality. Additionally, fully open access journals have higher citation scores than subscription journals after controlling for other factors. Therefore, converting subscription journals to open access journals could be an effective strategy for increasing citation scores.