EASE Webinar: Using competitor analysis for better journal development

EASE Council members Duncan Nicholas and Elisa de Ranieri drew from their extensive experience and expertise in journal management to bring you a session intended to start your year on insightfully strategic footing.

One of the key activities to perform when making development plans and strategizing our journals is some comparative analysis to understand what is happening in our subject area, and assess how similar journals are performing. This helps us benchmark the current landscape in our field, putting our own journal’s performance into context, and helping us set goals.

Perhaps you intend to increase the impact factor of a journal. Looking at similar journals may offer realistic targets, enabling you to temper expectations or consider other strategies. Which databases are most well used in your field? If you want to get found by readers, it helps to be in the same places as other titles in the field.  Your editorial board may be keen to work on the journal’s social media presence – but where?  Find where your potential audience is before making efforts in any particular platform.

All these ideas and more were covered in this session demonstrating practical techniques, tools, strategies and systems to give delegates insights into their own journals and subject areas, and a wealth of information to use for development plans and goal setting.