The Role of the Journal Impact Factor in Chemistry Research

The journal impact factor (JIF) is a skewed metric whose value is dictated by just a few highly cited articles. Therefore, the use of the JIF to evaluate journals, scholars, or research institutes is flawed. Still, the JIF continues to play a central role in evaluating scholarship in chemistry, the most reluctant amid scientific disciplines to embrace the principles of open science. This study investigates the origins of this social behavior and suggests avenues to improve scholarly communication in the chemical sciences following the example of the life sciences.