Historia de la investigación española en psicología vista a través de las revistas científicas recogidas en la Web of Science durante el periodo 2003-2012

Abstract

The level and great number of scientific publications is an indicator of the ability, experience and scientific quality of a country, subject area or research group. Nowadays, the importance of a journal is given in many cases by their visibility degree. The international visibility degree is an important indicator of the quality of a magazine that is increasingly considered by most evaluating scientific merits agencies. This study analysis the evolution of Spanish psychology activity, as seen through its scientific production in psychology journals listed in the JCR database of SSCI (Social Sciences Citation Index) and SCI (Science Citation Index) during the years 2003-2012. The results indicate a growth in the Spanish scientific production during the period studied and a growth in the number of Spanish and Latin American journals in the JCR data bases (SCI and SSCI), which is an indicator of the effort made by the journal editors of these countries in the formal aspects of their publications and making the necessary changes to improve their quality. It is also observed that the behavior of psychology researchers is different depending on the subject field in which they work. In conclusion, it is outstanding that throughout the study period the most commonly number of magazines that used to publish psychology articles increased. Being the most extended, during the five years period between 2008-2012, the ones published in Spain, France, England, United States and Colombia.