CELEBRATING SUCCESS AT THE RANGELAND JOURNAL

May 5, 2025

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Pat Hannah, Journal Manager, The Rangeland Journal. Email: pat.hannah@csiro.au 

2024 has been an exciting and transformative year for The Rangeland Journal! Here are some milestones and achievements we’re proud to share:

A Fresh New Look

Significant Growth in Downloads

The journal’s reach has grown, with downloads increasing to 114,000 in 2024—nearly doubling the annual average from 2020–2023 (approximately 60,000). This growth is thanks to the CSIRO Publishing team’s efforts to include the journal in more indexing sources.

What’s even more exciting is that this increased viewership didn’t just benefit newly published papers; it also brought renewed attention to historical articles, showcasing the enduring value of our published research.

Impact Beyond Citations

One standout example of the journal’s success is the paper by Macintosh Andrew et al. (2024), titled Non-compliance and under-performance in Australian human-induced regeneration projects. Since its publication in October 2024, this article has been downloaded nearly 3,000 times and has sparked conversations in the media, including a feature in a column by Alan Kohler (titled: Alan Kohler: Australia’s bulls–t climate policies).

This demonstrates how the journal’s research contributes not just to academia but also to informing public opinion and policy discussions—a measure of impact that extends beyond traditional metrics like citations.

Influence on Policy

In 2024, The Rangeland Journal content was cited in 10 policy documents, further solidifying the journal’s role in shaping important decisions. Notably, the 2014 paper by Zhang et al., Establishing the carrying capacity of the grasslands of China: a review (The Rangeland Journal, 36, 1-9), was cited in the UNESCAP Committee’s report on Desertification in North-East Asia.

Supporting Australian Authors and Attracting Global Contributions

While we’re thrilled to see an increasing number of contributions from international researchers—a testament to the journal’s reputation—we also take pride in the journal’s strong support for Australian authors.

Through CSIRO Publishing’s outreach efforts, The Rangeland Journal now benefits from Read and Publish agreements with most Australian institutions. These agreements remove the financial burden of Open Access publishing for authors, as costs are covered by their institution’s subscription to the journal. This initiative ensures that Australian researchers can share their work with a global audience.

If you’re unfamiliar with these agreements, we encourage you to explore how they work by visiting the CSIRO Publishing Website.

We look forward to continuing to build on this success and thank you for your contributions to The Rangeland Journal. Together, we’re making an impact!