Promotion and tenure for medical physicists should be based on article specific measures and not on journal impact factor

Abstract

In the evolving progress of academic medicine, the metrics by which we measure success are both crucial and contentious. Among these, the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) has long been a dominant metric, often serving as a shorthand for the quality and significance of research. For many institutions, JIF plays a pivotal role in decisions regarding promotion, tenure, and funding, positioning it as a key indicator of academic achievement. However, as we delve deeper into the complexities of scholarly impact, questions arise: Is the JIF truly a fair measure of quality of an individual author or value of their article? Or should we, instead, focus on article-specific metrics that more accurately reflect the true impact of the work? This month's debate seeks to explore these questions from both perspectives. We have Dr. Samantha Hedrick, who argues in favor of article-specific measures as a more accurate reflection of scholarly contribution, while Dr. Jinzhong Yang defends the established role of the JIF as a useful, if imperfect, tool in academic evaluation.

Samantha Hedrick, PhD, DABR received her B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla and received her M.S. and PhD in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Missouri. She then completed a two-year CAMPEP accredited residency at Washington University in St. Louis. She is currently the Director of Medical Physics at the Thompson Proton Center, specializing in pencil beam scanning proton therapy treatment planning, scripting, and safety improvements.

Jinzhong Yang, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Physics at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is the lead physicist of the MR-Linac program at MD Anderson. He earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering from Lehigh University in 2006 and received a postdoctoral training at University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on artificial intelligence in medical image computing for radiation oncology applications, MR-guided online adaptive radiotherapy, and quantitative imaging biomarkers for treatment outcome prediction. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed journal articles, nine book chapters, and edited a book.

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.