Modern academia is characterised by the race to publish in Q1. To both researchers and institutions, the (Q1) journal title symbolises the best impact, exposure and prestige in a given field. Universities rely on Q1 publication counts in order to determine the quality of research and tenure as well as funding. Such a high concentration, nonetheless, is the cause of a critical and frequently neglected phenomenon, which is Quartile Inflation.
These dynamics are modelled and analysed at Fast Publications to enable the researchers to be ahead of the curve. Quartile inflation refers to the ongoing, chronological increase in the actual, unarticulated demands of the Q1 ranking. Despite the official definition of the top 25 journals in a category. We believe that this inflationary force places significant academic stress on researchers, affecting the whole publishing ecosystem.
The Model: The Rise of the Q1 Bar
The process by which the quartile position of a journal is determined is citation statistics. Most notably, the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) or the SCImago Journal Rank (SJR).
- Q1 status: It is a level of a journal that is in the top 25% of its category using these metrics. Nevertheless, competition towards a Q1 position does not remain the same. But instead, it is growing tougher by the year because of two key drivers:
- Heightened Global Research Production: The overall amount of quality research production of submissions in the world is on the constant rise. The greater the amount of articles the more citations the journals publishing them may get.
- Strategic Publishing Behavior: Institutions and researchers are interested in publishing in Q1 journals. Such an intensive attempt results in an increased number of high-grade manuscripts sent to the most renowned journals. Consequently, the lowest possible JIF or SJR score needed to be ranked at the Q1 position in a category increases with time . What was a comfortable Q1 score five years ago may just not be a comfortable Q2 score today. We refer to this as Quarantine Inflation.
The Domino Effect on Publication Product
Quartile Inflation does not simply represent an interesting bibliometric finding. It has implications of a deeper, real-world significance on the output of publishing and academic careers.
Increasing Requirement Standards
With the increase in the JIF threshold of Q1, journals will have to be more selective to preserve their reputation. Every submitted manuscript has to be more original, more methodologically rigorous and a bigger contribution to knowledge required by editors.
- You have to be more innovative: No longer incremental research Basic research is no longer sufficient to a Q1 journal. Authors need to provide indeed new findings with far reaching implications.
- You have to record more: The duration and the intricacy of the research process, including literature review and experimentation, become dramatically longer and more complicated (Source 2.1). Submissions will have to undergo exhaustive and robust rationale and a careful presentation of data.
Increased Time-to-Publication
The added attention required to reach the increased bar of the Q1 directly translates to increased publication times.
- Rigour is time-consuming: The peer review of the Q1 journals is infamously onerous, it may take several rounds of revision and a long time to get the response of the reviewers (Source 2.2). Reviewers are aware of the fact that they evaluate work on behalf of the most selective publications and frequently require serious revisions.
- Sequential Submissions: Because of increased rejection rates, typically more than 90% of best venues (Source 3.1), researchers often have to go through a delay of submission, rejection, and resubmission, an experience that further increases the time between completion of research and eventual publication. This is a strategic decision that will give the process several months.
Strategy of shifting Publications
Quartile Inflation compels researchers to make vital, tactical decisions regarding the place and the time of their publication.
- The Q1 or Perish Culture: Due to high weightage given to Q1 output in terms of promotions, tenure and funding, researchers are under high pressure to achieve only Q1 output no matter the additional risk of being rejected, and time wastage in protracted review procedures.
- The Strategic Retreat: More and more scholars need to be strategic in using Q2 and Q3 journals. Whereas the Q1 maximally visible, Q2/Q3 journals may offer quicker review times and greater acceptance probability, potentially vital in both early-career researcher development of the portfolio and in faster dissemination of small, but important, findings (Source 3.3).
Surviving Inflation with Fast Publications
In Fast Publications, we provide our customers with the skills and mechanisms. We ensure they negotiate successfully within this inflationary environment. Our researchers are not merely aiming for a quartile. We are aiming at the needs which will bring a journal to its present, high position.
We are Anti-Inflation Strategy Orientated:
- Manuscript Modeling: We compare your research novelty score that has to be in the present JIF/SJR trends of your target Q1 journals so that your contribution is indeed a star in its category.
- Rigor Enhancement: Our systematic review approach envisions the rigorous critiques of a Q1 review board, and proactively enhances your methodology and discussion section.
- Strategic Placement: We structure a data-oriented submission plan, which includes the prestige of Q1 with the efficiency and readership of high-end Q2 publications, making the most out of your time and of your presence.
Let Quartile Inflation not be your career determinant. Collaborate with Fast Publications. To make sure that your research is up to, and beyond, the ever-increasing standards of international academic publishing.
