Journal Ranking
The ranking of academic journals is common in academic circles. It is used to evaluate the quality and impact of a journal. Journal ranking serves the purpose knowing the position of a journal in its field of specialization, the degree of difficulty of an article being published in it, and the prestige attached to it. IS or Influence Score is a classification criterion for journals. The ranking evaluations tools used are impact factor, Eigen factor, h-index and the SCImago Journal Rank.
The major academic journal in IS (Information Systems), based on the Australian journal ranking system, are grouped into such categories as Decision Sciences; Decision Support Systems; European Journal of Information Systems ; Information Systems Journal; Information Systems Research; Information and Management; Journal of the Association for Information Systems; Journal of Management Information Systems; Management Science and MIS Quarterly. They are established as invaluable sources for reliable high-quality information to all information seekers. They are ranked and peer reviewed by the best in the field of IS (ISI, 1).
My topic of interest is in the area of HIV/AIDS, this being a very devastating disease in my home continent and country and have worked in the same. My preferred journal publication would be the Lancet Medical Journal. My reasons for this choice are because it is popular for its evidence based information, it is a reliable source of high quality and diverse information, it is prestigious and accepted by the scientific fraternity as being source of reliable information. It is also peer reviewed by the best of professionals. Publishing in such a journal would mean that my publication gets a wide readership and thus make an impact on my target audience. My publication will also gain prestige and provide an opportunity for my work to be cited thereby adding to its value and making it highly priced in the market.
Authors who are important in my field of interest are Mhalu FS, Chakaya J, and Stover J. I would like to cite their work since they have made an impact in the area of HIV/AIDS by mainly focusing their attention on the devastating effects of this disease and researching on how it could be mitigated in poor resource countries. They provide rich and evidence based journals, which can be relied for quality and reliable information. Their journals have had a positive impact on the general HIV/AIDS circle.
IT Conferences
The 16th Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) and the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2010) are information technology conferences. They both provide a networking platform for all who are involved in the IT sector to share information as well as seek the way forward on identified trouble spots (Fisher et al., 1).
The Americas 16th Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) had such tracks as IT in healthcare. Under this overall track, we had mini-tracks of Electronic Healthcare Records and IT, e_ Health and Quality, and Role of technology in improving health care delivery processes. The Electronic Healthcare Records and IT mini-track had discussions on the use and impact of electronic healthcare records in the healthcare setting (AMCIS, 1). The e_ Health and Quality mini-track held discussions on how to maintain high quality and sustainable e- health solutions in all areas of healthcare and reap maximum benefits from IT. The role of technology in improving health care delivery processes mini-track shared information on the role of IT in improving healthcare delivery processes as well as the opportunities and challenges in such a setting. It adapted a multi- and intra- disciplinary approach. I would have liked to participate in the role of technology in improving healthcare processes mini-track since I have witnessed and have been a victim of my country’s slow and poor healthcare delivery system. This has impacted negatively on the health of the population. Participating in this mini-track would allow me to share this knowledge and find possible solutions.
The International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2010) had a number of tracks such as Security and Privacy, Online Community and Group Collaborations, and Human Behavior and IT (ICIS, 1). The Human Behavior and IT track sought to explore the link between people and information technology. This exploration was the key as the interaction of human behavior and information systems continue to be a mystery and presents challenges to researchers and practitioners. This track addressed these challenges, at both individual and group levels of analysis.
The Security and Privacy track sought to address how participants of virtual worlds are threatened through use of IT in terms of security and privacy, the implications, and possible solutions to this threat. The Online Community and Group Collaborations track held discussions on electronic groups and online communities, how these interact, challenges of such interactions and their potential. In this ICIS conference, I would have liked to participate in the online community and Group collaborations mini-track since I belong to a number of such online groups and would like to get more insight on how to address some of the challenges as a member and how to make best use of them.
References
AMCIS, Americas 16th Conference on Information Systems. (2010). IT in Healthcare. Web.
Fisher, J., Shanks, G., & Lamp, J. (2007). “A Ranking List for Information Systems Journals”, Australian Journal of Information Systems 14(2). Web.
ICIS (2010). Issues and Topics of Discussion. International Conference on Information Systems. Web.
ISI, Institute for Scientific Information. (2009). Journal Citation Reports (JCR) Science and Social Science Editions: Public, Environmental and Occupational Health. Web.