How Springer journals recognise research impact beyond citations

Author: Christabell Ndive

What does “research impact” for a community-focused journal really mean? When you run a journal focused on specific discipline communities, that “impact” often means something more than large citation counts racked up in its first few months, and more than simple measurable statistics; it means real contributions to that discipline’s ongoing conversations, sometimes in contributions that don’t bear breakthrough fruit for years. And often the people doing that work are in a better position to spot those articles than cold citation and social media counts can. That’s why some Springer journals award best paper prizes. Identifying those articles published in the past year that prize committees believe will have outsized influence on their disciplines going forward.

The journals that award these prizes typically use processes involving either the editorial boards or separate prize committees. They look at the volume of published work over the previous year, and, as members of their discipline communities often doing active work themselves, use their expert subjective judgment to identify noteworthy articles. They then identify a short list, and work to name the prize winners from there.

There are at least seven Springer journals that currently award article prizes, in disciplines ranging from virus research to materials science, and humanities and social sciences. I’ve listed seven of these journals below, with a little bit about each prize they award, why they award them, and the process they use for picking them.

Springer journal “best paper” prizes

Springer journals that award annual best paper prizes span disciplines, and include journals like:

• The Journal of Materials Science
• Public Choice
• Sustainability Science
• Group Decision and Negotiation
• Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia
• Solar Physics
• VirusDisease

You’ll see from this list that these range from public policy to astrophysics to sustainability to materials science — spanning a wide spectrum of disciplines.

Next, let’s take a look at the prizes each of these journals award, to see how they see themselves in supporting their discipline communities.

The Journal of Materials Science

Starting with its Sapphire Anniversary (45^th), the Journal of Materials Science inaugurated its annual best original research paper prize. The first one was called the Sapphire prize, in honour of the anniversary. Following that, the Editorial Board chose to rename the annual prize after Robert W. Cahn, a pioneer in materials science, and the journal’s founder. The journal awards the prize for what the Prize Committee determines is the best original research article published that year.

The journal now also awards the William Bonfield Prize for the year’s best review article. Named for a former journal Editor-in-Chief, the journal has awarded this prize since 2022.

Public Choice

Public Choice awards two annual prizes, the Duncan Black prize, for best article by a senior researcher, and the Gordon Tullock prize, for the best article by a junior scholar. Each prize comes with a US$1,000 honorarium, co-sponsored by the Public Choice Society and Springer Nature, respectively.

Sustainability Science

Sustainability Science not only awards a best paper award, but, also, publishes its shortlist of finalists and winners. The journal conducts yearly awards to recognize the contributions of researchers that further enhance our understanding of sustainability science and demonstrate high-quality scientific standards.

Group Decision and Negotiation

Group Decision and Negotiation gives the Gregory Kersten Best Paper Award. To commemorate the late Gregory Kersten, Section President and Editor-in-Chief of the GDN Journal, the informs Section on Group Decision and Negotiation established the annual “Gregory Kersten GDN Journal Best Paper Award” for outstanding papers published in the GDN Journal. The journal also gives the GDN Conference Awards and the GDN Springer Best Student Paper Award.

Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia

The Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia awards two prizes for student articles: a best paper prize for original research, and a best review article prize.

Solar Physics

Solar Physics established the Kees de Jager prize in 2021. The journal gives this award for the best publication of the year.

VirusDisease

VirusDisease gives the Springer Nature-IVS Best Paper Award, based on citations, downloads, and expert scoring criteria.

What these prizes mean 

These prizes show subjective editorial judgment reflecting the perspectives from within the discipline communities that these journals serve. More than bibliometrics (which can tend to be both time-limited, and also inappropriately compared across disciplines that cannot be compared), these prizes show how involved community members’ judgment can show what research and results can really matter to a discipline. Sometimes even years before its true import shows up in citation or download counts.

What makes an editorial prize genuinely meaningful is the judgment behind it. The editors who run Springer’s journals either come from, or are actively doing research, in their discipline’s specific communities. They design their prize processes around the values and work important to those communities, whether that’s the Editorial Board deciding the prizes, or whether it’s commissioning a separate prize committee to pick the winners. Anyone can count citations; these prizes represent insight beyond the statistical. They’re considered, subjective calls from people who understands the conversations happening at the edges of the field: what kind of work quietly reorients how the community thinks, and which result and insights will still be referenced a decade from now. Springer journals grow out of, and serve, their discipline communities in a supportive, approachable way—and a prize is one of the most direct expressions of that service.

That kind of editorial recognition also does something that citation metrics can’t quite replace — it names the work as significant to the people doing the work. A prize awarded by a journal whose editors are active members of the same community speaks to that community, in its own values. It shows how the journal is, itself, an active participant in the community’s conversation, rather than some evaluator from the outside unfamiliar with its dynamics. From a perspective like that, these prizes are less an announcement, than confirmation that these journals and their editors really do have the community’s pulse, and really do know what is, and will become, important.

Participating in their communities

The Springer journals that offer prizes do this not just to give back, but because their editors are enthusiastic about their communities, and the quality of the work coming out of them. Establishing and administering prizes like these takes resources: the award money, obviously, but, even more critically, time. That these journals’ editors have chosen to invest their time into these prizes each year shows how important serving their communities is to them; it makes their commitment concrete.

That commitment is a big part of what defines Springer journals. Keeping their communities and its members in mind underlies how these journals approach peer review, article handling, which articles they accept, and more. Springer journals “grade” themselves on how useful they are to their communities, not just on downloads and citation counts (not that there’s not something of a relationship there), but on the qualitative aspects. It's that something extra you get when you work with a Springer journal.

Whether you’re publishing original research, reviews, or work that helps move your field forward, Springer provides the reach, credibility, and support to help your work make a lasting impact. Learn more about publishing with Springer.

Related Content

• Springer: A legacy shaped with research communities
• The authors’ advocates: how Springer journal editors help authors
• Starting your career? Here’s how Springer can help you publish open access
• The story of Springer’s first open access book