Research Impact
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Journal impact
Journal level metrics track citation patterns within journals and determine which journals are highly cited. The commonly known journal metric is the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) generated from the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) from Web of Science. It is important to note that metrics can't tell you which are the 'best' journals, but they can help you identify journals that receive more attention on average than others. Whilst publishing in a highly-cited or highly-discussed journal won't guarantee that your paper will be read, cited or shared, it can help raise the profile of your work and boost your CV. Ultimately, however, the decision of where to publish your work depends on many factors that are beyond the scope of metrics.
- Journal Metric Summary TableThis document covers the definition, use, pros, and cons of the majority of journal metrics found in citation databases.
Journal level metric overview
Adapted from:
Colosimo, April. "Concept Map." Impact Measurements: Journal-level metrics. McGill University. n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2020.
Journal level metrics
- CiteScoreCalculates the number of citations received by a journal in one year to documents published in the three previous years divided by the number of documents indexed in Scopus in those same three years
- SCImago Journal Rank (SJR)Calculates a ratio of the average number of weighted citations received in a given year by the number of documents published in the journal in the previous three years
- Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP)Measures contextual citation impact by weighting citations based on the total number of citations in a subject field
- Eigenfactor ScoreMeasures the number of times articles from the journal published in the past five years that have been cited in the JCR
- Journal Impact FactorMostly widely quoted measure for journals is the journal impact factor (JIF) found in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) of Web of Science; measures how often an article is cited in any year in a journal
Journal ranking
- Journal Quality ListCompiled and edited by Dr. Anne-Wil Harzing and includes 18 different rankings for over 900 journals
- Journal Citation ReportsProvides transparent, publisher-neutral data and statistics to make confident decisions in today's evolving scholarly publishing landscape
- Scimago Journal & Country Rank (SJR)View rankings by subject category
- EigenfactorSearch by ISI category
Publishing your work is central to your career and the advancement of knowledge in your field, so it’s important to choose a trustworthy and credible journal and publisher, and avoid the perils of “predatory journal" or "predatory publisher." “Predatory journals and publishers are entities that prioritize self-interest at the expense of scholarship and are characterized by false or misleading information, deviation from best editorial and publication practices, a lack of transparency, and/or the use of aggressive and indiscriminate solicitation practices” (Grudniewicz et al., 2019). While there are no definitive list of warning signs, the following lists are updated to keep up with the growing predatory journals and publishers.
Find the right journal for your research
Sharing your research is key to the research lifecycle. It progresses your discipline with greater understandings of the world while contributing to your academic career. However, with thousands of journals available, it can be hard to choose a trusted journal and publisher. The following resources can help you find the right journal for you.
- SciRevProvides information on journal response times and review duration based on feedback from individuals.
- UlrichswebA periodical directory with detailed information about journals such as publication location, peer-review, etc.
- Think. Check. SubmitProvides a checklist and a range of tools and resources to find credible research and publications.