Abstract: A publication evaluation subsystem generates publication scores for publications. Each publication score is indicative of an expected performance for content that is presented with the publication. The publication scores are generated relative to a baseline performance measure. The baseline performance measure has a value that is indicative of an expected performance of any selected content presented with any publication in the content network. More than one publication score can be generated for each publication, with each publication score being indicative of the performance of a sub-group of content items that are presented with the publication. The sub-group of content items can include content items that each share a common characteristic. For example, a publication score can be generated for a sub-group of content items that are associated with common targeting criteria (e.g., keywords).