What is a good citation impact score?

A good citation impact score varies heavily by field, but generally, 10+ is excellent in many sciences, while 1-3 can be respectable in humanities/social sciences, with Impact Factors of 3-4 often median, and Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) above 1 shows performance above the global average. It's crucial to compare metrics within the same academic discipline, as top journals in biology might have IFs over 50, while respected history journals might have IFs under 1.

What is considered a good impact score?

In general, an impact factor of 10 or higher is considered remarkable, while 3 is good, and the average score is less than 1. 🍍 Who invented the impact factor? Eugene Garfield, the founder of the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), invented the measurement known as impact factor.

Is 2.5 a high impact factor?

Yes, a 2.5 Impact Factor (IF) is generally considered a good score, especially in fields like social sciences or physical sciences, though "high impact" varies significantly by discipline; while STEM fields might see 10+ as high, 2-5 is often solid in social sciences, and a 2.5 means papers are cited 2.5 times on average in the past two years, making it respectable and above the overall average.
 

Is an impact score of 30 good?

Impact scores run from 10 to 90, where 10 is best. Generally speaking, impact/priority scores of 10 to 30 are most likely to be funded; scores between 31 and 45 might be funded; scores greater than 46 are rarely funded.

Is 8.5 a good impact factor?

Impact Factor Range

Between 3 and 10 - Good to very good, depending on the specific field. Between 1 and 3 - Average but respectable in many fields. Below 1 - Generally low but acceptable for niche or emerging fields.

Understanding the impact factor

Is 7.1 a good impact factor?

An Impact Factor of 7.1 means that Age and Ageing is now the fifth highest-ranked journal in the Geriatrics and Gerontology category. It has retained its place as the highest-impact clinical geriatrics journal in the world.

Is 12 impact factor high?

Only a tiny fraction - 144 journals (less than 1%) - achieved an impact factor of 20 or above. Expanding to journals with impact factors of 10 or higher was still only about 2.3% of all journals. Overall, very high impact factors are quite rare, with most journals having impact factors below 2.

Can impact factor be manipulated?

However, impact factors may be manipulated by editors. According to the ex- planatory statements and announcements made by the authors submitting their work to the journals, the impact factor is still being di- rectly manipulated [4–6].

What is a "predatory" journal?

Predatory journals—also called fraudulent, deceptive, or pseudo-journals—are publications that claim to be legitimate scholarly journals, but misrepresent their publishing practices.

What is Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 journal impact factor?

There are four quartiles: Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4. Q1 is occupied by the top 25% of journals in the list; Q2 is occupied by journals in the 25 to 50% group; Q3 is occupied by journals in the 50 to 75% group and Q4 is occupied by journals in the 75 to 100% group. Q1 is occupied by the top 25% of journals in the list.

What is a 1.5 journal impact factor?

A Journal Impact Factor of 1.5 for a particular journal would mean that, on average, articles published in that journal during the previous two years have been cited 1.5 times. The Journal Impact Factor is a relative number and can only be used to compare journals in the same research field.

What is a high impact rating?

A 'high impact' journal is one where its articles are regulalrly cited across the academic spectrum - and especially if they are cited in other high impact journals. Citation indexes were first developed in the 1950s as a means to measure 'Impact Factor' of journals.

Is 2.5 a good impact factor for a journal?

Yes, a 2.5 impact factor (IF) is generally considered good or decent, falling into the respectable range for many fields, though it's not "top-tier" like journals with IFs of 10+; it signifies that articles in that journal are cited reasonably often, but its actual quality depends heavily on the specific research discipline, as averages vary significantly.
 

How can I improve my impact factor?

Maintaining high editorial standards is essential for attracting high-quality articles and increasing the impact factor. This includes implementing a rigorous peer review process, adhering to high ethical standards, and ensuring that all articles published in the journal are of high quality and relevance.

What is a respectable impact factor?

An impact factor of 10 is an excellent impact factor and indicates that the journal is of major importance in a field or discipline. An impact factor of 3 is considered to be good. Average impact factors for most journals are less than 1.

Who is the most cited scholar?

The milestone makes machine-learning trailblazer Yoshua Bengio the most cited researcher on Google Scholar.

What are the top 5 journals?

There isn't a single "Top 5" list for all journals, as it depends on the field (e.g., Economics has its "Big Five": AER, Econometrica, JPE, QJE, RSt); while high-impact science/medicine often cites Nature, Science, NEJM, The Lancet, and Cell for broad influence, measured by metrics like Impact Factor or H5-index. Top journals are generally highly cited, prestigious, and influential in their specific disciplines, impacting careers and research visibility. 

How to determine if a journal is predatory?

What is a Predatory Journal?

1. Have no rigorous peer review, editorial, or preservation services.
2. Have no quality control in their selection process.
3. Exploit open access publication models for the sole purpose of financial gain.

Who decides the Impact Factor of journals?

Clarivate Analytics releases the Journal Impact Factors annually as part of the Web of Science Journal Citation Reports®. Only journals listed in the Science Citation Index Expanded® (SCIE) and Social Sciences Citation Index® (SSCI) receive an Impact Factor.

What is a good article influence score?

The mean Article Influence Score is 1.00. A score greater than 1.00 indicates that each article in the journal has above-average influence. A score less than 1.00 indicates that each article in the journal has below-average influence. Article Influence uses Thomson Reuters Web of Science citation data.

Is 20 a good impact factor?

In 2024, JCR tracked Impact Factors for 21,916 journals. They calculated Impact Factors from 1 to 20, with 20 being the highest. As you can see, high Impact Factors don't occur often, and most journals are at 2 or less. The field or discipline the journal represents plays a big role in the Impact Factor.

What is a Q1 journal?

Definition: Journals placed in the first quartile (Q1) rank within the top 25% of journals within their subject category, as determined by citation metrics within a citation database such as Scopus or Web of Science. Features: Demonstrating high impact and visibility in their respective fields.

What is a 5-year impact factor?

5-year Impact Factor

It is caclulated by dividing the number of citations in the JCR year by the total number of articles published in the five previous years. The 5-year Impact Factor is available only in JCR 2007 and subsequent years.