Trade Journals in Bibliometric Databases and Their Influences on Indicator Calculations

Abstract

This analysis examines trade journals as an example of the less observed publication types in bibliometric databases. It is shown that they appear in considerable numbers both in Scopus and the Web of Science and that their bibliometric properties (citation behavior, document type distribution, field differences) differ significantly from academic journals. An example of how trade journals influence bibliometric indicator calculations on a field level is also provided. Lastly, German institutions and sectors are identified that publish most in trade journals. Hereby, a target audience is inferred, leading to the conclusion that bibliometric databases provide not only insights in intra-scientific communication but also about knowledge transfer. Some remarks regarding how bibliometricians should handle different publication types to increase construct validity complement this analysis.