Using ISI Web of Science to Compare Top-Ranked Journals to the Citation Habits of a 'Real World' Academic Department

Quantitative measurements can be used to yield lists of top journals for individual fields. However, these lists represent assessments of the entire "universe" of citation. A much more involved process is needed if the goal is to develop a nuanced picture of what a specific group of authors, such as an academic department, is citing. This article presents a method for using ISI Web of Science in conjunction with spreadsheet management to compare lists of top journals from ISI and Eigenfactor with the journal titles that a list of authors are citing in their own publications. The resulting data can be used in collection development, departmental contacts, and in assessing the research interests of an academic department. (Contains 3 figures.)