The Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport (JSAMS) was recently elevated to an ‘A’ quality rating under the Australian Research Council’s Excellence in Research for Australia 2010 Ranked Journal List.

This rating represents overall quality decided upon by over 700 Australian and international researchers who ranked the publications they use in their research. Around 20,000 journals were rated.

JSAMS Editor-in-Chief, Professor Gregory Kolt said this is a great achievement which has been a long time coming.

“The Journal has risen rapidly through the ranks of the increasing number of publications in its area to make its mark as a well-respected international Journal,” said Professor Kolt.

“We hope this will prompt an even larger number of submissions from across the world by both expert and early career researchers and practitioners, as the ranking demonstrates it is considered essential reading by researchers.

“From here we can strive for an A* rating however this means increasing our impact factor, publishing more collaborative research (across institutes, states, and national borders) and further developing our international links,” said Professor Kolt.

Within the rating system there are four tiers of quality:

• A* - Journal is best in its field or subfield. All papers published are of a very high quality. Acceptance rate is low. Editorial board is dominated by field leaders, including many from top institutions. Top 5%.
• A - Majority of papers are of a high quality. Being published would enhance an author’s standing. Lowish acceptance rates. Editorial board includes well known researchers from top institutions. Next 15%.
• B - Journals with a solid, though not outstanding, reputation. Few papers of very high quality. Important outlets for PhD students and early career researchers. Examples include regional journals with high acceptance rates. Editorial boards have few leading researchers from top international institutions. Next 30%.
• C – Quality, peer reviewed, journals that do not meet the criteria of the higher tiers. Bottom 50%.

The Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport is produced by Sports Medicine Australia and was first published in 1998. The past five years has seen it increase from a quarterly publication to being published six times a year. This time period has also seen a 30% increase in its pages. In 2008 the Journal increased its Impact Factor to 1.913 (compared to 1.091 in 2007) ranking it 16 out of the 71 sports science journals (39 out of 72 in 2007), and within the top 25% of journals in this category.

To view all Journal ratings visit http://www.arc.gov.au/era/era_journal_list.htm

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