Web Exclusive: Red Journal improves ranking among oncology journals

By Nicole Napoli, communications manager

The International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics (or Red Journal), the official journal of ASTRO, continues to be the highest ranked radiation oncology journal based on 2009 impact factors, which were released in June by Thomson Reuters. The Red Journal’s rank increased from 33rd to 32nd of 164 journals in the oncology category and from seventh to sixth of the 90 journals in the radiology, nuclear medicine and medical imaging category, both on the 2009 Journal Citation Reports.

“We congratulate Dr. [James] Cox and his editorial team on its continued high standing in the field,” Mary Heffner, publisher of the Red Journal, said.

Impact factors are based on the average number of citations to a journal’s articles in a particular year and include articles for the prior two years. Therefore, the 2009 impact factor was based on the total number of 2009 citations of 2007 and 2008 Red Journal articles divided by the total number of Red Journal articles published in 2007 and 2008.

The Red Journal was established in 1975 as the first journal dedicated solely to radiation oncology issues. It is currently published 15 times a year. Dr. James Cox, M.D., FASTRO, serves as Red Journal editor and is also the division head of radiation oncology at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.