A 2025 publication in the journal Conservation Biology by Jonathan Choi and colleagues recently caught our attention. The publication, titled ‘Role of low-impact-factor journals in conservation implementation,’ discussed the culture of scientific publishing in the framework of the ‘publish or perish’ culture, and how this culture can unwittingly undermine the publication of basic, foundational research.
In efforts to elevate one’s work and further one’s career, many scientists are driven to publish their work in prestigious ‘high impact’ journals, journals which often are less interested in publishing the sorts of research that, for instance, help to inform assessments of Endangered Species Act listings. Choi et al. found that so-called ‘low impact’ journals play a disproportionate role in publishing work that leads to direct conservation action.
As you might imagine, this article resonated with the board of Western Field Ornithologists and the publication staff of Western Birds. WFO strives to provide a venue for foundational, field-based research; entire issues dedicated to the status of the California Gnatcatcher (Western Birds issue 29, volume 4), for instance, underscore the journal’s support for the publication of tangible research that serves to promote bird conservation.
To further this mission, WFO recently changed the framework of the website for Western Birds. In modern research, most scientific publishing is now accessed and discovered through Google Scholar. This did few favors for Western Birds, as over the last several years, it came to our attention that the platform used to host the journal was not accessible to Google’s search engines. Earlier this year, we made the transition to a new website platform for our journal, the architecture of which is easily indexed by Google Scholar. While we’re still working out the kinks associated with the transition, this change has already made the thoughtful, conservation-focused research that Western Birds supports more accessible to conservation and research communities, increasing the reach of the journal by 400 percent. Learn more about some of this work in this interview with Angela Tidmore, the Western Birds Editorial Intern.
We all love and appreciate Western Birds, and it is satisfying to see an outside perspective underscoring the importance of journals like ours to the wider conservation community.
Citation:
Choi, J. J., Gaskins, L. C., Morton, J. P., Bingham, J. A., Blawas, A. M., Hayes, C., Hoyt, C., Halpin, P. N., & Silliman, B. (2025). Role of low-impact-factor journals in conservation implementation. Conservation Biology, 39, e14391. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14391
June 2026 | Dan Ruthrauff, WFO Vice President