On behalf of the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy (JGPT) Editorial Team and Editorial Board, I am extremely pleased to announce that the JGPT one-year Impact Factor (IF) increased from 2.283 in 2018 to 3.396 in 2019! This increase has resulted in improved JGPT rankings as compared to other journals: JGPT now ranks 6th/68 in the Rehabilitation category, and 17th/51 in the Geriatrics/Gerontology category.
The IF is one measure of a journal's success, primarily in research and academic circles. It reflects how often in any given year (i.e., 2019) articles that were published in the journal in the prior two years (i.e., 2017 and 2018) have been cited in any other journal. The 2019 IF is calculated and released in 2020. Because well-respected authors seek to publish their work in more prestigious journals, a higher IF makes the JGPT a more attractive target publication for high-quality studies. Consequently, JGPT readers benefit from access to this emerging evidence.
The top three most cited JGPT articles in 2019 were:
1. Kojima G. Frailty as a predictor of nursing home placement among community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Geriatr Phys Ther. 2018;41(1):42-8.
2. Lusardi MM, Fritz S, Middleton A, et al. Determining risk of falls in community dwelling older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis using posttest probability. J Geriatr Phys Ther. 2017;40(1):1-36.
3. Valenzuela T, Okubo Y, Woodbury A, Lord SR, Delbaere K. Adherence to technology-based exercise programs in older adults: a systematic review. J Geriatr Phys Ther. 2018;41(1):49-61.
Of course, the IF is not the only indicator of journal success. An entirely different sort of indicator is the Altmetrics Attention Score, a measure of the public attention received by any given journal article. This score represents a weighted count of all of the mentions Altmetrics has tracked for an individual research article, and indicates the amount and reach of the attention received by that published item. The sources used to calculate an Altmetrics score include news, blogs, policies, patents, Wikipedia, Twitter, Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.
The top three JGPT articles with high Altmetrics Attention Scores in 2019 were:
1. Hartley PJ, Keevil VL, Alushi L, et al. Earlier physical therapy input is associated with a reduced length of hospital stay and reduced care needs on discharge in frail older inpatients: an observational study. J Geriatr Phys Ther. 2019;42(2):E7-14.
2. Fisken AL, Waters DL, Hing WA, Steele M, Keogh JW. Comparative effects of 2 aqua exercise programs on physical function, balance, and perceived quality of life in older adults with osteoarthritis. J Geriatr Phys Ther. 2015;38(1):17-27.
3. Leonhardt C, Kuss K, Becker A, et al. Graded exposure for chronic low back pain in older adults: a pilot study. J Geriatr Phys Ther. 2017;40(1):51-9.
I share this achievement with, extend my sincere appreciation to, all those involved in the development of the JGPT over the years. Those responsible for our success include the authors who submit (and revise, and revise, and revise ...) their work, the peer-reviewers who provide valuable feedback to authors, the Associate Editors who manage the review/revision process and make tough accept/reject decisions, and the prior Editors-in-Chief whose efforts to increase submission rates and study quality have allowed the JGPT to grow into the professional publication it is today.