IJPDLM ’s 45th anniversary: a retrospective bibliometric analysis and future directions

Purpose – After 40 years, IJPDLM received its first impact factor from Web of Science in 2010. This anniversary editorial provides a retrospective bibliometric assessment of IJPDLM over its initial five years as a Web of Science journal (2011-2015). First, IJPDLM ’s citation metrics are compared to those for the Web of Science journal subject category of Management. Next, IJPDLM ’s most cited articles, best papers and special issues together with the international diversity of the journal’s author base from 2011 to 2015 are reviewed. The analysis also presents the journals that cite IJPDLM most frequently, as well as the journals most frequently cited in IJPDLM . Finally, IJPDLM is compared to peer journals in the logistics and SCM field on various scholarly metrics including impact factor, five-year impact factor, h 5-index, number of citations received and self-citation rate. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Retrospective bibliometric analysis of IJPDLM from 2011 to 2015. Findings – Boosted by the journal’s admission to Web of Science in 2010, IJPDLM has made steady progress toward fulfilling the mission of providing its constituents with timeliness, inclusiveness and impact. Practical implications – The comparison of IJPDLM ’s scholarly metrics with those of peer journals and journals in the Web of Science Management category will be of interest and value to logistics and SCM researchers. Originality/value – The retrospective overview and celebration of IJPDLM ’s progress over the last five years and future directions will be of interest to the journal’s stakeholders and prospective authors.