Librarians are frequently asked to provide rankings of journals in particular disciplines. Though there are many supposedly authoritative lists that rank journals, it's difficult to make a definitive declaration of the best or top journal for any discipline.
Some rankings are essentially based on people’s opinions (e.g. faculty are asked to rank journals in their fields). A common problem with such surveys is that the resultant lists often ignore journals focusing on more out of the way disciplinary areas; frequently they disproportionately represent American journals; and they often do not give appropriate attention to newer journals. Even when journal ranking lists utilize citation metrics, one should bear in mind that no single metric, each having a specific focus and bias, can address all relevant variables. Moreover, while a particular metric might be useful for one subject area, it might be quite inappropriate for another.
BC Libraries have produced a guide Assessing Journal Quality that considers certain evaluative criteria under the following headings:
