Journal ranking means
little in terms of methods.
Higher might be worse.
Academics aim to submit their research for publication in the most prestigious journals as this brings career advantages including during job and grant applications. This is due to the concept that only the best research, and therefore academics, will be accepted for publication by these journals.
Yet increasingly research is showing that these high ranked journals may not actually be publishing the highest quality research after all.
In a fascinating review Brembs (2018) summaries findings from multiple studies investigating journal status and research quality. Together these findings suggest that the methodological quality of research doesn’t increase with journal rank. In fact, evidence suggests that the inverse may be true – as journal status increases the quality and reliability of the published work may actually decrease. These findings could have profound impacts on ways that modern publically funded science operates and the preservation of public trust in science.
Original research: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00037