Pat Hannah, Journal Manager. Email: pat.hannah@csiro.au. Paul Novelly, Editor-in-Chief, The Rangeland Journal. Email: penovelly@gmail.com
Between the 12th of February 2024 and the 1st of April 2025, the Rangeland Journal published a series of 11 papers, including a summary foreword connected to a Collection that focuses on the Carbon and Environmental Service Markets. While defining how to measure impact can be difficult in this modern age, I am hopeful that the following information will show how this single collection has provided significant impact for the journal.
When we look at the simplest definition of impact, citations, it is difficult to argue that this collection has not been impactful. Between the 10 papers that can be cited, there have been 25 citations. One paper in particular, Henry et al. (2024), has received 10 citations since its publication in August. In fact 16 of these citations have come in 2025, meaning that they will directly contribute to the next Impact Factor release for the journal. While it isn’t the most important measure of a journals success, it still remains an important metric for many contributors to the journal.
Another measure of impact, more in tune with the public discourse around a particular area of science if a measure of how often a paper is mentioned on Social Media, News Sources, Policy Documents and other ‘non-scholarly’ places. While there has been little mention of most of the papers, the success of the paper by Macintosh et al. (2024) should not be ignored. It was mentioned in 11 news articles, 1 blog post and 22 individual times on Twitter/X. These mentions contribute to an ‘Altmetric Score’, which weights certain types of mentions as more impactful than others. This article alone received an Altmetric score of 109. This is the 4th highest score a published article has received in the Rangeland Journal’s history.
Finally, we like to consider the general viewership of a collection as another measure of impact. This ensures that we are considering how often a paper is read as a measure of impact. In total the collection has received 17,720 downloads across all of the papers with 5 of the papers receiving greater than 1,000 downloads individually. It is here that we see the impact that the increased public discourse had on the visibility of the Macintosh et al. (2024) paper which has received 4,723 downloads (just over ¼ of the total downloads). Two other papers have received significant attention, with Milne et al. (2024) receiving 3,036 downloads and Henry et al. (2024) receiving 2,814 downloads. To put this in context with the rest of the Rangeland Journal content, in 2025 the journal has received ~72,000 downloads, this collection alone has accounted for nearly ~10,000 of those downloads. This means that the 10 papers associated with this collection have alone contributed to 13% of the total downloads for the journal in 2025.
Taken together, these indicators paint a compelling picture of the Collection’s reach and resonance. Whether through scholarly citations, mainstream media attention, or readership engagement, the Carbon and Environmental Service Markets Collection has clearly struck a chord with both academic and broader audiences. Its influence has extended well beyond the boundaries of the journal, amplifying discussions around carbon markets and environmental services at a national level. For the Rangeland Journal, this Collection has not only delivered measurable results but has also demonstrated the value of timely, focused publishing in elevating the journal’s visibility and relevance in a competitive publishing landscape.
Collections like this one highlight the power of curating a series of papers around a timely and focused theme. By drawing together complementary research, Collections can generate broader interest, amplify engagement, and support deeper conversations within and beyond academic circles. The success of the Carbon and Environmental Service Markets Collection shows just how impactful this format can be. If you have an idea for a future Collection that could bring important research together in this way, we encourage you to get in touch.