While impact factors can be useful, they have several limitations: 1. Discipline Bias: Impact factors can vary widely between disciplines, making cross-disciplinary comparisons difficult. 2. Citation Practices: Different fields have different citation practices, which can skew impact factors. 3. Short-term Focus: Impact factors only consider citations over a two-year period, which may not reflect the long-term impact of research. 4. Manipulation: Some journals may engage in practices that artificially inflate their impact factors.
