The Multiplication of Rankings of Social Science Journals in France and in Europe

In France, the journals in the various social sciences have been evaluated by committees since the 1950s before getting yearly public grants for their publication. The 1980s witnessed the beginning of a very different process, the ranking of journals along hierarchical categories. It was generalized to the European Union and then to France in 2007-2008. On the contrary, the article argues that only a single list encompassing the scholarly journals, both in France and in Europe, would make sense. It insists on a major dimension of the activities of journals : creating and developing knowledge, which cannot be assessed through unilateral and pre-established categories.