Journal citation identity and journal citation image: a portrait of the Journal of Documentation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a multiple set of journal evaluation indicators using methods and theories from author analysis. Among those are the journal citation identity and the journal citation image. Design/methodology/approach – The Journal of Documentation is celebrating its 60th anniversary, and for that reason it is portrayed in a bibliometric study using the two indicators, based, e.g. on analyses of references in journal articles and journal co‐citation analyses. Findings – The Journal of Documentation , which is portrayed in this study is characterized by high impact and high visibility. It publishes a relatively low number of documents with scientific content compared to other journals in the same field. It reaches far into the scientific community and belongs to a field that is more and more visible. The journal is relatively closely bounded to Western Europe, which is an increasing tendency. Research limitations/implications – The research is based on analyses of just three LIS journals. Practical implications – Journal citation identity and the journal citation image indicators contribute in giving a more detailed multifaceted picture of a single journal. Originality/value – The multiple set of indicators give rise to a journal evaluation of a more qualitative nature.