Developmental Review: Perceptions in Behavior and Cognition, a quarterly journal of theory and literature review in developmental psychology edited by Charles Brainerd, professor of human development, has been rated one of the three most influential journals in its field.

In the 2009 Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Impact Factor data released in June, Developmental Review ranks alongside Child Development and Developmental Psychology -- the two longest-running developmental psychology publications. A journal's ISI Impact Factor, which reflects the average number of citations for a journal's articles during a two-year period, is the key index of its reputation in an area of study.

"Developmental Review has climbed steadily up the rankings in the past few years, and I'm pleased to know that its stature as a valuable source of research and scholarship in the field continues to grow," Brainerd said.

Developmental Review scored an Impact Factor of 3.486, just behind Developmental Psychology at 3.555 and Child Development at 3.631. Of the 2,200 scientific journals in the Social Sciences Citation Index database maintained by Thomson Reuters, all three stand in the 96th percentile of impact.

Brainerd attributed the journal's rising influence to its shift in focus to literature reviews and theoretical articles, both of which are often widely cited, as well as an increase in special issues on emerging topics in the field.

Brainerd has edited Developmental Review, which was founded in 1981, since 2001. Valerie Reyna, professor of human development and psychology, serves as associate editor, and Stephen Ceci, Helen L. Carr Professor of Developmental Psychology, sits on its editorial board.