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Journal Level Metrics

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 home screen.
  2. Scroll down to find the Impact Factor for the most recent JCR year in the "Journal Impact Factor" section of that journal’s record. A detailed calculation of that journal's Impact Factor is provided directly beneath it.

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

  1. Select the "Compare" option from the top menu bar on the JCR home screen.
  2. Search for the journal titles you wish to compare.
  3. Various metrics will be provided that enable a side-by-side comparison of the publications.

Important Considerations

Although calculated using article citation counts, journal level metrics cannot be used to predict the number of citations any given article in a journal will receive.

The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), signed by Concordia University in 2024, indicates that journal level metrics should not be used "as a surrogate measure of the quality of individual research articles, to assess an individual scientist’s contributions, or in hiring, promotion, or funding decisions".