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Research Impact Metrics

Provides an overview of Research Impact Metrics

Journal Impact Factor (JIF)

Sample Statement:

"2 out of my 10 papers were published in the journal '(journal title)', which has Journal Impact Factor 3.6 and ranked 5th in the category '(category name)' "

The Journal Impact Factor (JIF) is a metric used to evaluate the importance and influence of academic journals. It measures the average number of citations received by articles published in a journal during the previous two years. Here’s a breakdown of what it is and how to use it:

  • Calculation: JIF is calculated by dividing the number of citations in a given year to articles published in the previous two years by the total number of articles published in those two years. 
  • Purpose: It helps to assess the relative importance of a journal within its field. Higher JIF indicates a more influential journal.

Journal Impact Factors and Journal Quartiles are provided for all the journals indexed by Web of Science. More information about the Impact Factor is available on the Journal Citation Reports Impact Factor help page.

To find the Impact Factor of a journal:

  1. carry out a DOCUMENTS search or RESEARCHERS search  in Web of Science

  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 in the "Source" field

  4. this will take you to the journal metrics including Journal Impact Factor, Ccategory Rank and Quartile.

 

Limitations of JIF:

  • Field Variations: JIF varies significantly across different fields, making it less useful for cross-disciplinary comparisons.
  • Citation Practices: It can be influenced by citation practices, such as self-citations or citation circles.
  • Article Quality: JIF reflects the journal’s overall impact, not the quality of individual articles.

While JIF is a useful tool, it’s important to use it alongside other metrics and qualitative assessments to get a comprehensive view of a journal’s impact and quality