Towards a Consolidation of Worldwide Journal Rankings — A Classification Using Random Forests and Aggregate Rating via Data Envelopment Analysis

Abstract

The question of how to assess research outputs published in journals is now a global concern for academics. Numerous journal ratings and rankings exist, some featuring perceptual and peer-review-based journal ranks, some focusing on objective information related to citations, some using a combination of the two. This research consolidates existing journal rankings into an up-to-date and comprehensive list. Existing approaches to determining journal rankings are significantly advanced with the application of a new classification approach, ‘random forests’, and data envelopment analysis. As a result, a fresh look at a publication’s place in the global research community is offered. While our approach is applicable to all management and business journals, we specifically exemplify the relative position of ‘operations research, management science, production and operations management’ journals within the broader management field, as well as within their own subject domain.

Keywords: Citation indices, Journal rankings, Journal lists, Research assessment, Data envelopment analysis

JEL Classification: C14, C44, C67, M10