A General Framework for Relative Impact Indicators / Cadre général pour les facteurs d’impact relatifs

Abstract

This article brings the underlying structure of different relative indicators to the forefront. Special attention is given to the relative impact of a journal within a set of journals, a so-called meta-journal. Examples of relative impact factors are calculated for a group of information science, and for a group of management journals. Advantages of relative impact indicators are highlighted. These indicators are further studied in the context of regression analysis. Finally, it is shown that, compared to the Ramirez-Garcia-Del Rio renormalized impact factor, the relative impact factor is more sensitive to changes of relative contributions of journals within a journal set.