The Importance of Having a Balanced Rating Index for Ranking Academic Journals

Abstract

Publishing in high-ranking journals is one of the many critical dimensions by which academic performances of scholars in higher education are measured. Researchers have proposed various approaches in ranking academic journals, although they are inconsistent because of their reliance on either subjective or objective indicators. However, both of these approaches have various advantages and disadvantages and integrating these approaches to completely demonstrate journal performance on various dimensions are still lacking. This study reviews previous journal ranking approaches and proposes a balanced-rating index in ranking hospitality and tourism journals. This proposed approach integrates both subjective and objective indicators into five dimensions (article influence, journal reputation, publisher reputation, efficiency and effectiveness, and readership) with 39 indicators in relation to the corresponding data collection method needed. The balanced-rating index is a new approach in ranking hospitality and tourism journals. The study also presents several critical implications for future research and practices to consider.