Research Guides: Measure Scholarly Impact: Journal Metrics

Types of Metrics

Traditional methods like a journal's impact factor, peer review, and general reputation of journals, are still highly regarded ways of measuring a journal's quality.
However, because of the controversy that surrounds these methods (particularly the Impact Factor) and new ways of publishing, other methods of measuring journal quality are actively being considered and recognized by some.

Journal Impact Factor

A journal's "Impact Factor" is the best-known indicator of journal quality. It ranks journals within a field using the average number of times articles from a journal published in the past two years have been cited in the Journal Citation Report (JCR) within a particular year. This metric only applies to journals indexed in the Web of Science database.

Journal Citation Reports This link opens in a new window
Look up the Journal Impact Factor, total citations, and other metrics for journals in virtually all areas of science, technology, and the social sciences.

Eigenfactor Metrics

This metric provides an alternate way of assessing a journal's relative influence. Journals are rated by the number of incoming citations, with citations from highly ranked journals ranking higher than journals of lesser quality.

Eigenfactor Metrics
Look up a journal's Eigenfactor.

Google Scholar Metrics

Google Scholar Metrics
Ranks journals indexed in Google Scholar that follow their "inclusion guidelines" over the previous five years; does not currently include smaller journals that have published less than 100 articles within this period. It helps scholars gauge the value of articles published in scholarly journals.