A response to Delgado-López-Cózar et al.: Impact factor: Many statements and few results. Letter

Abstract

This umpteenth statement, although doubtlessly brilliant, arrives late and badly, since it not only insists on a strategy that has not worked but also avoids building the consensus that is necessary in the Spanish-speaking bibliometric community, a community that may not be mustered in this way to the extent that it remains far from a unanimous position. There will be conflicting interests, academic debate, and various publications, but action must finally occur via powerful lobbies, direct interviews with those responsible, and alternative, practical approaches. This letter, beyond its correct evaluations, does not propose real or viable scenarios, and not even short- or medium-term transitions, much less strategies that would be sustainable over time.