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Journal Impact

What is JIF?

Journal Impact Factor (JIF) is calculated by dividing the total number of citations received by articles published in a specific journal during a given year by the total number of articles published in that journal in the same year. This calculation typically considers a two-year period. 

Journal Impact Factor in the Year 2023:

                                                                        

When JIF 2023=2.58, the citable items published in the journal in 2021 & 2022 have been, on average, cited 2.58 times in 2023.

Pros

  • Well-known, easy to calculate and understand
  • Used as a benchmarking tool to compare the quality of different journals within the same field

Cons

  • Do not include subject category in calculation
  • Bias towards certain disciplines: Fields with larger number of researchers tend to have higher JIFs, which can lead to bias
  • Short time span: only 2 years window

What is JIF Quartile?

From Journal Citation Reports, quartile rankings are provided based on rank for the Journal Impact Factor. 


X = The journal’s rank in category according to the metrics
Y = The total number of journals in the category
Z = Percentile Rank (X / Y)

Q1 0.0 < Z ≤ 0.25 Top Positioning Journals
Q2 0.25 < Z ≤ 0.5 Mid-Upper Positioning Journals
Q3 0.5 < Z ≤ 0.75 Mid-Lower Positioning Journals
Q4 0.75 < Z Bottom Positioning Journals

How to Locate JIF and Find Q1/Q2 Journals from JCR

Journal Citation Reports (JCR) is a library-subscribed database that provides you with access to JIF and JIF rank/quartile information for journals indexed in Web of Science's core collection.

Step 1: Go to Journal Citation Reports (JCR)

Step 2: Type in the journal title

Step 3: On the journal profile page, you can find the journal category and the latest JIF.

Step 1: Go to Journal Citation Reports (JCR)

Step 2: Click "Journals"

Step 3: Click "Filter", select a subject category under "Categories" and select "Quartile 1" and "Quartile 2" under "JIF Quartile" for Q1 and Q2 journal lists.

Step 4: On the right side of the page, you will see a list of all the Q1 and Q2 journals in the subject area of "Psychology, Social." You can sort these journals by their Journal Impact Factor.