Citations, authors and referees: regional studies, 1981-2002

The aim of this paper is to provide information about who publishes in the journal, how frequently this work is cited, what share of papers submitted are accepted, how quickly decisions are taken, how referees perform and, in particular, how the journal has evolved. The data reviewed indicate that the flow of material to the journal and the number of papers published have increased and confirm that, in the last five years, the authorship has widened. These trends are within the context of a steady decline in the journal's acceptance rate. On standard ISI citation scores, the record of the journal remains strong. A critical appraisal of these indicators reveals a number of weaknesses and suggests refinements that more accurately reflect the impact of material published in the journal.