Journal Level Metrics

Although calculated using article citation counts, journal level metrics are not necessarily predictive of how many citations any given article in a journal will receive.

Journal Impact Factor:

Created by Eugene Garfield and Irving H. Sher, this value relates to a particular journal, not an individual researcher, and is defined below.

“A journal’s impact factor is based on two elements: the numerator, which is the number of cites in the current year to any items published in the journal in the previous 2 years; and the denominator, the number of substantive articles (source items) published in the same 2 years” (Garfield, 2005, p. 5).

For other similar indicators, such as CiteScore and Source-Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP), see the "Ratio-based indicators" section of this Scholarly Kitchen blog post.

Where can you find Impact Factor information?

Journal Citation Reports

Journal Citation Reports (JCR) is a Clarivate Analytics product based on Web of Science data, that provides journal level metrics for some titles.

How can I find the Impact Factor for a specific journal?

1. Enter the name of the journal in the search box on the JCR homescreen.
2. The Impact Factor for the most recent JCR year will be visible in that journal's Journal Impact Factor Trend graph, with a detailed calculation provided beneath it.

Is it possible to see how different journals in a particular research area compare?

1. Select the Browse by Journal option from the JCR homescreen.
2. Select the area of interest from the "Select Categories" section on the left hand side. Then select Submit.
3. Select the journals you would like to compare, and then choose the "Compare Selected Journals" option.
4. Select the mode of comparison (either Quartile or Trends) and then the metrics you would like to compare, before again selecting Submit.