Journal Selection | Impact Factor | Peer Review | Paper Rejections | Rebuttal
Imagine a researcher with a groundbreaking discovery, but their paper gets buried in an obscure journal. Would it have been different if they chose a higher Impact Factor journal? In the competitive world of academia, where and how your work is published can make all the difference. This is where the Impact Factor comes in.
The Impact Factor is one of the most widely used metrics to assess the influence of a peer-reviewed journal. It measures how frequently articles in a journal are cited, indicating its reputation and reach. Researchers, institutions, and funding bodies often use the Impact Factor to gauge the significance of a publication, but is it truly the gold standard for academic quality? In this blog, we’ll break down what the Impact Factor is, how it’s calculated, and why it matters—while also considering its limitations and alternatives.
1. What is an Impact Factor?
The Impact Factor is like a journal’s academic report card—it tells you how often articles published in a particular journal are cited in other research papers. It is calculated annually. A higher Impact Factor suggests that a journal’s articles are widely referenced and influential in their field.
✔ Formula:
A = the number of times articles published in 2022 and 2023 were cited by indexed journals (indexed in Web of Science) during 2024.
B = the total number of “citable items” (articles and reviews) published in 2022 and 2023
A/B = 2024 Impact Factor
1.2. Why does it matter?
The Impact Factor matters because it is a quick, quantifiable measure of a journal’s influence within the academic community. Researchers can benefit from publishing in a journal with a high Impact Factor.
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Researcher Benefits
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As a journal reader, the Impact Factor helps you identify reputable journals in your field and guides you toward sources that have made significant research contributions.
Tip: While the Impact Factor is a useful tool, it shouldn’t be the sole measure of a journal’s quality, as it can sometimes prioritize citation volume over true scholarly impact.
1.3. How to find the impact factor of journals?
There are several ways to find the Impact Factor for a journal.
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SOURCES AND DATABASES |
DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
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Journal Citation Reports (JCR) |
🔹 The most authoritative source for Impact Factors. |
|
Scopus and CiteScore (Elsevier) |
🔹Scopus provides CiteScore, an alternative to the Impact Factor, based on citations over four years. |
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Publisher Websites |
🔹 Reputable publishers display their journals’ Impact Factors on their journal homepages. |
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Google Scholar |
🔹 Google Scholar provides an h-index ranking for journals but does not report Impact Factors. |
Tip: Always verify the source of the Impact Factors! Predatory journals sometimes claim false Impact Factor scores.
1.4. What is considered a Good Impact Factor?
Let’s look at some 2024 Impact Factors from Journal Citation Reports. In 2024, JCR tracked Impact Factors for 21,916 journals. They calculated Impact Factors from 1 to 20, with 20 being the highest.
|
IMPACT FACTOR |
NO. OF JOURNALS |
% OF TOTAL |
|---|---|---|
|
20+ |
144 |
.66 |
|
10+ |
506 |
2.31 |
|
9+ |
629 |
2.87 |
|
8+ |
794 |
3.62 |
|
7+ |
1006 |
4.56 |
|
6+ |
1354 |
6.18 |
|
5+ |
1888 |
8.61 |
|
4+ |
2886 |
13.17 |
|
3+ |
4791 |
21.86 |
|
2+ |
8273 |
37.75 |
|
1+ |
13604 |
62.07 |
|
0+ |
21916 |
100 |
As you can see, high Impact Factors don’t occur often, and most journals are at 2 or less. The field or discipline the journal represents plays a big role in the Impact Factor. Fields with a small research community will have fewer articles published each year and may have fewer citations. Large research communities like the life sciences and biomedical disciplines have the highest Impact Factors.
Tip: The scientific value of a particular article has nothing to do with the Impact Factor of a journal.
The benefit of high Impact Factor journals
✔ Greater Visibility and Credibility
✔ Career advancement
✔ Prestige and influenceWhy high Impact Factor journals aren’t always the best choice
✖ High Impact Factor journals won’t exist for some research fields
✖ Longer review times, which can delay the publication of time-sensitive research
✖ A journal with a lower Impact Factor might ensure reaching the relevant audience
✖ A lower Impact Factor journal might be open access and have a wider readership
2. When do Impact Factors not matter?
The Impact Factor may be a powerful metric, but it doesn’t always tell the whole story. If your research is highly specialized, a lower-IF journal in your niche might be the best place to reach the right audience. Similarly, in fast-moving fields where timely publication is crucial, waiting months (or even years) for a high Impact Factor journal could mean your findings become outdated before they see the light of day. And let’s not forget real-world impact—some of the most influential research shapes policy, industry, or public discourse without ever appearing in a top-tier journal. At the end of the day, quality, relevance, and readership often matter more than a number.
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Find the Right Journal
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3. What is Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 Journal Ranking?
Journals are not only ranked by Impact Factor. They are also categorized into quartiles (Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4).
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QUARTILES |
DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
|
Q1 |
Most prestigious. Highest citation impact. Top 25% of journals. |
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Q2 |
Solid balance of quality and accessibility. Next 25% of journals |
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Q3 |
Cater to specialized or emerging research areas. Mid-tier. |
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Q4 |
Newer or less competitive. Still valuable. Bottom 25%. |
While Q1 journals are the most sought after, the best choice depends on where your research will have the most impact.
4. Other Common Journal Metrics
There are several citation frequency metrics other than the Journal Impact Factor.
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METRIC NAME |
METRIC SOURCE |
DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
|
5-year Journal Impact Factor |
Clarivate – Web of Science |
🔹The average number of times the journal’s articles published in the last five years have been cited in the JCR year. |
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Journal Citation Indicator |
Clarivate – Web of Science |
🔹This metric complements the Journal Impact Factor. It is field-normalized, making comparisons across fields possible. |
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Altmetric Badge |
Digital Science |
🔹This badge measures the social visibility of scientific research articles, showing tweets, blog callouts, news media, article views, and article downloads. |
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CiteScore |
Scopus |
🔹This score is calculated by dividing the number of citations in four years by the number of documents published in the same four years. |
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SNIP |
Scopus |
🔹SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper) measures the average citations in a year to papers published in the previous 3 years. Citations are weighted according to the subject category for better cross-discipline comparison. |
Not all journals will have these citation frequency metrics. Clarivate and Scopus require a journal to be indexed.
Other journal metrics vital to a researcher are related to review to acceptance times, time to publication, top reader countries, and acceptance rates.
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METRIC NAME |
METRIC SOURCE |
DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
|
Submission to Acceptance/Rejection |
Journal Data |
🔹 Period between the researcher’s submission date and when an editor make a final decision. |
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Acceptance Rate |
Journal Data |
🔹This is the percentage of submitted articles accepted in a given time. |
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Acceptance to Publication |
Journal Data |
🔹This measures the time, in days, between the acceptance of an article and the earliest publication date. |
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Top Reader Countries/Regions |
Journal Data |
🔹This metric provides the number of unique readings in a particular year and lists the top five countries or regions that represent the readers. |
5. Summary
The Impact Factor is a widely used metric that measures a peer-reviewed journal’s influence based on how frequently its articles are cited. This blog explains the calculation method, its significance in academic publishing, and whether researchers should always aim for high Impact Factor journals.
While a high Impact Factor can enhance a researcher’s visibility, credibility, and career opportunities, it isn’t always the best quality measure. Some fields naturally have lower citation rates, and specialized journals with lower Impact Factors may be better suited for niche research. Additionally, open-access journals may provide a broader readership despite having lower Impact Factors.
The blog also covers finding a journal’s Impact Factor, what qualifies as a “good” Impact Factor, and when Impact Factor doesn’t matter—such as in fast-moving fields where timely publication is crucial. Journals are further categorized into quartiles (Q1-Q4) based on their citation impact, with Q1 journals being the most prestigious.
Beyond the Impact Factor, alternative journal metrics like CiteScore, SNIP, and the Journal Citation Indicator (JCI) provide additional ways to assess journal quality. Choosing the right journal should focus on research relevance, audience, and ethical considerations rather than the Impact Factor alone.
If you have any questions, please drop a comment below, and we will answer as soon as possible. We also recommend you to refer to our other blogs on academic writing tools, academic writing resources, and academic phrase-bank, which are relevant to the topic discussed in this blog.
