What are journal ranking metrics?
Journal ranking metrics calculate the citation impact of journals in relation to other journals in the same field. There are a range of tools and metrics to help you identify highly cited journals in your discipline.
Use metrics responsibly and keep in mind that:
- Metrics are an average calculation, and each metric has strengths and weaknesses.
- Citation behavior varies between disciplines
- A highly cited journal isn't always a quality one
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Preparation tips for gathering metrics include:
Approaching the task systematically, one publication title and one databases/platform at a time.
Developing meaningful folders for data management
Definitions and Use
| Term | Where to use it |
Journal Impact Factor(JIF)  |
The JIF can be used to highlight the average number of times articles from a journal published in the past two years have been cited in a particular year. |
| SCImago Journal and Country Rank (SJR) |
SCImago Journal Rank is a prestige metric based on the idea that ‘all citations are not created equal’ and is based on subject field, quality and reputation, and can be used in addition to other metrics to give an indication of journal prestige. |
| Quartile rankings | Quartile rankings can be used as an ;indicator of how prestigious the journals are that you have published in. Journals are ranked into Quartiles ( Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) with Q1 being the top 25%. |
| Source normalized impact per paper (SNIP) |
Use SNIP when you want to compare journals in separate disciplines which have different citation and publication practices. As it normalizes the citation data, it will provide a more accurate indication of a journal's prestige. |
Example statement for promotion and funding applications
"I regularly publish in top quality prestigious journals, with seven publications in Q1 journals and two in Q2 journals."
Note: Refer to scheme-specific rules to determine what information should be included in your grant or promotion application. Funding rules change from year to year.