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Research Impact Metrics

Provides an overview of Research Impact Metrics

CiteScore, SNIP and SJR

Sample Statement:

"All of my publications are in high quality journals: 35% of my publications are in the top 10% Journals (by SJR), with the remainder in the Q1 Journal Quartile (top 25%)."

SJR, SNIP and CiteScore are the journal level metrics used by Scopus.  

Great question! Here's a clear comparison of CiteScore, SNIP, and SJR, which are all journal metrics based on Scopus data but differ in methodology and purpose:

CiteScore
  • Focus: Average citations per document.
  • How it works: Calculates the average number of citations received in a year by all documents published in the preceding three years.
  • Field Normalization: ❌ No.
  • Best for: A straightforward, transparent metric of average citation performance.
SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper)
  • Focus: Field-normalized impact.
  • How it works: Adjusts for differences in citation practices across disciplines. A citation in a low-citation field counts more than one in a high-citation field. The average SNIP value for all journals in Scopus is 1. Higher SNIP indicates a journal has a high impact relative to the citation norms of its field.
  • Field Normalization: ✅ Yes.
  • Best for: Comparing journals across different disciplines fairly. 
SJR (SCImago Journal Rank)
  • Focus: Prestige of citations.
  • How it works: Weights citations based on the prestige of the citing journal (citations from higher-ranked journals receive more weight). The average SJR value for all journals in Scopus is 1. Higher SJR indicates a journal is cited by more prestigious journals.
  • Field Normalization: ✅ Yes.
  • Best for: Understanding how influential a journal is within the academic network. 

To find the SJR, SNIP and CiteScore for a journal:

  1. carry out a Documents search or Authors search in Scopus

  2. click on the title of the article which is published in the journal you're interested in to bring up the record of the article

  3. click the journal title on the top of the page

  4. this will take you to the journal metrics including Citescore/ SJR/ SNIP, quartiles and ranks in subject categories.

When using metrics like CiteScore, SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), and Source Normalised Impact per Paper (SNIP) to demonstrate research impact, consider the following:

  1. Field-Specific Differences: These metrics can vary significantly across different fields. It’s important to compare journals within the same discipline to get a fair assessment.

  2. Citation Practices: Different fields have different citation practices. SNIP accounts for these variations by normalizing citation impact, making it useful for comparing journals across disciplines.

  3. Metric Limitations: Each metric has its own limitations. For example, CiteScore covers a four-year period, while SJR and SNIP consider different aspects of citation impact.  Using multiple metrics can provide a more comprehensive view.