Development and Psychopathology, a scholarly journal in developmental psychology, has been ranked second in its field with regard to the journal's impact. Articles in the journal were among the most highly cited and more influential than established publications such as Developmental Psychology and Child Development.
This ranking appeared in Journal Citation Reports, a publication of the Institute for Scientific Information, which periodically rates journals by various factors to show their impact among professionals in many specialties.
"These rankings demonstrate the enormous influence articles published in Development and Psychopathology have had on the field of developmental psychology," said Dante Cicchetti, editor of the journal. "The high impact of Development and Psychopathology is even more impressive when one considers that the first issue was published in 1989, making the journal significantly less established than others evaluated."
Tracking the number of citations is an important indicator of how frequently current researchers are using the literature published in scientific journals, said Cicchetti, professor of psychology, psychiatry, and pediatrics at the University of Rochester.
Cicchetti, who founded Development and Psychopathology, also is director of Mt. Hope Family Center. The center offers intervention and conducts research with the goal of preventing mental illness and promoting positive relationships between parents and children. Mt. Hope Family Center is affiliated with the University's Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology.