Bibliometric impact of the Italian peer-reviewed forestry journals

Abstract

Citation analysis is a commonly used bibliometric method for assessing the scientific activity carried out by researchers and institutions in a specific research field. In this note, the peer-reviewed forestry journals in Italy - Annals of Silvicultural Research, Dendronatura, Forest@, iForest, L’Italia Forestale e Montana, Sherwood - are evaluated and compared using a bibliometric analysis based on quantitative indicators. Annals of Silvicultural Research, edited online by CREA Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, publishes in English original scientific articles, reviews, international project reports and notes on all aspects of silviculture. iForest and Forest@ are two peer-reviewed online journals published by the Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology, the first one in English, while the second one in Italian;  iForest and Forest@ encompass a broad range of research aspects concerning forest science; of special interest are studies addressing the biological and ecological bases for the sustainable management of forest ecosystems. L’Italia Forestale e Montana/Italian Journal of Forest and Mountain Environments is a scientific online journal published by the Italian Academy of Forest Sciences that contains scientific articles and reviews, technical notes, letters, opinions, news and book reviews in all the fields of forest sciences and forest policies and economics. Sherwood and Dendronatura, edited respectively by a private publishing company and the Association of Foresters of the Trentino province, are two technical journals mostly devoted to the decision makers, forest owners, professional foresters and forest officials and technicians of public administrations. The bibliometric impact of such forestry journals has been analyzed using the Google Scholar and the Scopus databases for the period 2014-2018