Journal metrics

Journal metrics such as impact factor, quartile, or ranking can be useful in demonstrating the research impact or prestige of the journals in which you have published. 

There are several widely recognised journal metrics available, each using their own calculations, criteria and source data for measuring 'impact' (essentially, how often articles from a particular journal have been cited). When a journal is described as having high impact, it means that articles within that journal are cited frequently compared to other journals in the same research area. As such, journal metrics can be used to measure performance, and also to compare and rank journals in order to make strategic decisions about where to publish your research for maximum impact. 

It is important to note that each journal metric comes with its own strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, metrics vary across disciplines due to distinct publication and citation patterns, and as such, should not be used to directly compare journals in different fields of study.  

It is also a good idea to look at ranking, quartile and percentile information for journals, as this often conveys greater meaning in grant application than the JIF or SJR indicator alone. 

The information below will help you use these journal metrics with discretion to judge the most appropriate publications for your research. 

For further support, please contact your Liaison Librarian. 

  • Journal Impact Factor (JIF)

    A measure of the number of times an average document in an individual journal is cited, during a year. It is calculated by counting the number of citations in a given year for articles published in the previous two years. Then dividing that number by the total number of publications in those previous two years.  

    For example: if 40 articles were published in a specific journal in 2021 and 2022, and those 40 articles were collectively cited 400 times in 2023, then the impact factor is 10. 

    You can find the Journal Impact Factor for a journal by using these tools: 

    Web of Science
    Click on the hyperlinked journal name from any article record. View the journal’s Impact Factor, Category Rank and Category Quartile in the pop-up window. 

    InCites: Journal Citation Reports
    Search for a journal and scroll down to view full metrics including Journal Impact Factor and Rank by Journal Citation Indicator (for JCI rank, quartile and percentile).  

  • CiteScore and Scimago Journal Rank (SJR)

    CiteScore: A measure of the number of times an average document in an individual journal is cited, during a year. It is calculated over a 4 year period.  

    For example: CiteScore 2022 counts the citations received in 2019-2022 to articles, reviews, conference papers, book chapters and data papers published in 2019-2022, and divides this by the number of publications published in 2019-2022. 

    Scimago Journal Rank (SJR): A weighted measure that accounts for both the number of citations received by a journal and the perceived prestige of the journals from where the citations come. The data source is from Scopus. 

    You can find the CiteScore and SJR for a journal using these tools: 

    Scopus
    Visit an article record page and click on the hyperlinked journal name (above the article title). View the journal’s SJR and SNIP, as well as the CiteScore, Category, Quartile, Percentile and Rank in the pop-up window. 

    Alternatively select the Sources option and search for a journal by title to view a range of journal metrics on the journal’s ‘Source details’ page.  

    Scimago Journal Rank
    Search for a journal by title to view the SJR indicator and quartile. Note: The SJR indicator is included on each journal record within Scopus, however the SJR Quartile is only visible from the SJR website. 

  • Example Statement

    “This article was published in Plant Biotechnology Journal which is a leading journal in the field, ranked as the top journal for Agronomy and CropScience in Scopus, and in the top 5% of journals for Plant Sciences in the Clarivate Journal Citation Reports.”