An impact factor is one way of measuring the relative ranking of a journal within a particular field. Ranked lists of journals can be used to:
Check the following when choosing a journal to publish your research in:
For more information on selecting quality journals for publishing consult the online guide: Strategic publishing
Journal metrics can offer some insight into research quality and impact, and there are a range of metrics available to demonstrate impact - each uses different data and calculation methods. Rankings lists created from journal metrics are one way of identifying and measuring the relative prestige of a journal within a particular field.
Below are some of the more commonly used tools for ranking journals within particular fields.
| Metric | Definition | Tools |
|---|---|---|
|
Article Influence Score |
Calculated by dividing the Eigenfactor score of the journal by the number of articles published. It tells the average impact of an article published in a journal from a five year period after the publication of the article. |
|
| Citations per publication |
The number of citations received by an entity, divided by the number of publications produced by the entity. |
|
| Cite Score |
Based on Scopus, this is a set of metrics that measure a scholarly journal’s impact. Recently updated CiteScore 2019 counts the citations received in 2016-2019 to articles, reviews, conference papers, book chapters and data papers published in 2016-2019, and divides this by the number of publications published in 2016-2019. It is included in Scopus Sources. |
|
|
Eigenfactor |
The Eigenfactor™ Score uses citation data to assess the relative influence of journals. Journals with many citations from influential journals are rated as influential themselves. |
|
| Journal Impact Factor |
Number of citations within one year to items published in the last two years. This metric is also available excluding journal self-cites and as a five-year impact factor |
|
| SJR (SCImago Journal Rank) |
Based on Scopus, this provides a prestige metric based on the subject, quality and reputation of citing journals. It is included in Scopus Journal Metrics. |
|
| SNIP (Source Normalised Impact per Paper) |
A free source using Scopus data and weighs citations based on the total number of citations in a subject field thereby allowing for comparisons across different subject fields. It is included in Scopus Journal Metrics. |