ISA Transactions Journal Wins High Marks for Quality

The International Society of Automation (ISA) announces that ISA Transactions: The Journal of Automation, dedicated to the science and engineering of measurement and automation, has earned its highest rating ever in a prominent scientific ranking of journal quality and value.

The 2013 Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports (JCR), a quantitative method of ranking, evaluating, categorizing and comparing journals, rated ISA Transactions 46 percent higher than the previous year. And among all professional journals relating to instrumentation, control and automation, ISA Transactions earned the highest five-year rate of increase in the JCR rankings.

The JCR rankings measure the Impact Factor, the frequency with which the average journal article has been cited up to two years after publication. Since 1975, the Impact Factor has been relied upon as an indicator of journal relevance and importance.

“ISA is very proud of the increased citation of ISA Transactions as it reflects the journal’s overall scholarly value and quality, and the credibility and usefulness of its peer-reviewed content, particularly among those in the research and publications community,” says Ahmad B. Rad, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief of ISA Transactions. “The results provide further confirmation that ISA Transactions is on par with the very top journals focusing on the applications balance of research.

“They also provide me,” Dr. Rad continues, “with another great opportunity to thank the volunteer editors and editorial board members of ISA Transactions—as well as the multitude of contributing authors and reviewers—who invest so much time, energy and creativity to put forth such a well-regarded professional journal.”

ISA Transactions: The Journal of Automation covers advances and state-of-the-art developments in the science and engineering of measurement and automation. The bimonthly journal has increased in popularity over the last several years, with hundreds of industrial practitioners and applied researchers holding subscriptions.

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, distributes ISA Transactions on behalf of ISA to an international audience via an electronic platform called ScienceDirect. Incorporating a full-text scientific database of articles and book chapters from more than 2,500 peer-reviewed journals and more than 11,000 books, ScienceDirect provides access to more than 10 million users worldwide. Click here to order ISA Transactions through the Elsevier web site.

ISA members can access the online version of ISA Transactions at no cost; members may also subscribe to the print version for $99. ISA also offers subscription options for non-members and institutions. Visit www.isa.org/isatrans or call +1 (919) 549-8411.

Measurement topics covered in ISA Transactions include sensors, perception systems, analyzers, signal processing, filtering, data compression, data rectification, fault detection, inferential measurement, soft sensors and hardware interfacing; and the techniques that support these technologies, such as artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic, communication systems and process analysis.

Automation topics frequently referenced in the journal include statistical and deterministic strategies for discrete event and continuous process control, modeling and simulation, event triggers, scheduling and sequencing, system reliability, quality, maintenance, management and loss prevention; and the equipment, techniques, and best practices that support them such as optimization, learning systems, strategy development, security, and human interfacing and training.

A recognized authority for evaluating journals since 1975, the JCR supports an annual systematic review of the world’s leading journals in 232 disciplines, using a combination of metrics and millions of cited journal data points that provide context in assessing journals’ scholarly value.

The JCR are relied upon by:

Librarians to evaluate and document the value of their library research investments.
Publishers to determine journals’ influence in the marketplace, review editorial policies, monitor competitors, and identify new opportunities.
Authors and editors to identify the most appropriate, influential journals in which to publish.
Researchers to discover where to find the current reading list in their respective fields.
Information analysts and bibliometricians to track bibliometric and citation trends and patterns.
Access the 2013 JCR at http://wokinfo.com/products_tools/analytical/jcr/