Nonlinear Journal Prestige Normalized Productivity: Defining and Measuring It
arXiv:2607.22701
Abstract
This article introduces Journal Prestige Normalized Productivity (JPNP), a nonlinear, percentile-normalized, and authorship-fractionalized indicator of research productivity. The indicator can be aggregated to the level of disciplines, institutions, and countries. Traditional measures based on publication counts and not normalized by journal prestige do not seem to capture the current hierarchical structure of the global scientific publishing system. JPNP combines: (a) percentile normalization of journal prestige; (b) a convex transformation that strengthens the upper tail of the journal distribution; and (c) authorship fractionalization. JPNP produces a skewed but realistic distribution of productivity, identifies top performers in science more accurately than linear measures, and reduces the noise generated by low-prestige publications. The indicator improves cross-field comparability of productivity and reflects current stratification in science. JPNP is a conceptually coherent and empirically robust measurement tool, useful at the aggregated levels of research evaluation, institutional benchmarking, and science policy.
33 pages, 14 figures, including 7 pages of Electronic Supplementary Material