Strategic Journal Tier Selection for Literature Reviews: A Bibliometric Analysis Using Topic Modeling and Diversity Metrics

Strategic Journal Tier Selection for Literature Reviews: A Bibliometric Analysis Using Topic Modeling and Diversity Metrics | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Strategic Journal Tier Selection for Literature Reviews: A Bibliometric Analysis Using Topic Modeling and Diversity Metrics Narges Mashhadi Nejad, Marcelo Alvarado-Vargas, Mehrdad Jalali Sepehr This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8717398/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Journal ranking systems classify outlets into tiers, yet there is limited empirical guidance on how these tiers should be used when designing a literature search. This study examines whether journal tiers differ in the kinds of themes they emphasize and whether expanding a search from higher- to lower-tier outlets yields meaningful gains in topical coverage. Using a bibliometric workflow that combines topic modeling with a diversity-based assessment confirmable through resampling and cross-checking across ranking schemes, we compare thematic concentration and topical breadth across progressively inclusive tier combinations. The results indicate that higher-tier outlets tend to emphasize a more focused set of themes, whereas adding mid-tier outlets expands topical coverage by introducing additional implementation-oriented and contextual themes. In contrast, extending the search to the lowest tier yields little additional thematic coverage, suggesting a saturation point. We translate these findings into practical guidance for review design: depth-oriented reviews can prioritize higher-tier outlets, whereas breadth-oriented reviews benefit from including mid-tier journals, with limited value from extending to the lowest tier when resources are constrained. Bibliometrics Journal rankings Topic modeling Literature review methodology Shannon diversity index Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8717398","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":594662900,"identity":"4ff653f0-8d2c-4a38-9693-f7c1b9065e32","order_by":0,"name":"Narges Mashhadi Nejad","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABDElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHCDAwwSH0A0O4hgI1KL5AwQzUy8FgYGaR5itJizn3384sMfhjx+xsMPb9vU3LHrZ2Y+wPCh7DBOLZY96WaWM9sYiiUbjhlb5xx7ljyzmS2BccY53FoMDqSxGfM2MCRuOHDATDqH7XCywWEeA2beNjxazj9jM/7zhyFx/4Hj36Qt/h1Otgdp+YtPy4005sdAzyZuYDhjJs3YdtjOgBmohRGvlmdsjL1tEokzDpwptuztO5wgcZgt4WDPuXQ8Dktj/vDjj01i/4zjG2/8+HbYnr+9+eCDH2XWOLUAAZsEAwMIHQDzEhsYQLGKHzCDkwkDfwOYsiegehSMglEwCkYgAACKU1rA9szcuQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Angelo State University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Narges","middleName":"Mashhadi","lastName":"Nejad","suffix":""},{"id":594662901,"identity":"1c554f6d-89d3-4913-a613-2f90dd95b7f2","order_by":1,"name":"Marcelo Alvarado-Vargas","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Toledo","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Marcelo","middleName":"","lastName":"Alvarado-Vargas","suffix":""},{"id":594662902,"identity":"d1ae5905-6b58-4ff5-b9a1-bf6047763881","order_by":2,"name":"Mehrdad Jalali Sepehr","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Ball State University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mehrdad","middleName":"Jalali","lastName":"Sepehr","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-01-28 06:53:48","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8717398/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8717398/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":103439741,"identity":"d14f6cbf-89e5-4f83-ac53-5655bcc641c9","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-25 17:05:52","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":541547,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"1282026StrategicJournalTierSelectionforLiteratureReview.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8717398/v1_covered_affe2dae-4d26-47d7-bc18-587a999cff98.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Strategic Journal Tier Selection for Literature Reviews: A Bibliometric Analysis Using Topic Modeling and Diversity Metrics","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Bibliometrics, Journal rankings, Topic modeling, Literature review methodology, Shannon diversity index","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8717398/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8717398/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eJournal ranking systems classify outlets into tiers, yet there is limited empirical guidance on how these tiers should be used when designing a literature search. This study examines whether journal tiers differ in the kinds of themes they emphasize and whether expanding a search from higher- to lower-tier outlets yields meaningful gains in topical coverage. Using a bibliometric workflow that combines topic modeling with a diversity-based assessment confirmable through resampling and cross-checking across ranking schemes, we compare thematic concentration and topical breadth across progressively inclusive tier combinations. The results indicate that higher-tier outlets tend to emphasize a more focused set of themes, whereas adding mid-tier outlets expands topical coverage by introducing additional implementation-oriented and contextual themes. In contrast, extending the search to the lowest tier yields little additional thematic coverage, suggesting a saturation point. 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