Apunts. Educació Física i Esports (1985-2015). Thirty years in the context of Spanish physical activity and sports science journals

Abstract

The objective of this paper was to analyse the journal Apunts. Educació Física i Esports over the course of its first thirty years of publication (1985-2015) in comparison with Spanish journals of physical activity and sports science. In this study three analyses have been carried out. The first concerns the internal bibliometric data of Apunts. Educació Física i Esports as a multidisciplinary scientific journal in the field of physical activity and sports science. The second is multifactor analysis of the 30 Spanish journals in the sector with peer review. Finally, the third analysis compares the publication with the multidisciplinary journals of its academic field. A comparative analysis was carried out among all the Spanish physical activity and sports science journals through 8 different typologies and 14 indicators. The specialised journal Revista de Psicología del Deporte followed by the multidisciplinary publications Revista Internacional de Medicina y Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte, Apunts. Educació Física i Esports and Revista Internacional de Ciencias del Deporte are, in that order the most highly rated journals in the sample and those with the greatest potential. In the comparative analysis Apunts. Educació Física i Esports stands out together with the Revista Internacional de Medicina y Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte in this specific area. Its uninterrupted quarterly publication over 30 years, productivity, accessibility and visibility, extensive indexation base including the three most recognised databases, visits to its website and downloads of its articles, its vigour on the internet and in search engines and its status as a leading physical activity and sports science journal in Spain and Latin America are its most outstanding strengths.