Journal Impact Factors: What They Are and How to Find Them

What are journal impact factors?

Journal impact factors measure how often articles from a specific journal are cited by other researchers. Essentially, it's a way to gauge how influential or prestigious a journal is within its field. The higher the impact factor, the more frequently that journal's articles are being referenced by other scholars.

Why would you want to look up impact factors?

Faculty and researchers use impact factors to:

• Choose the best journals for publishing their research
• Evaluate the quality and reach of published studies
• Meet requirements for tenure, promotion, or grant applications
• Assess the scholarly impact of their field

How can I find journal impact factors at JWU?

While JWU doesn't subscribe to Clarivate's Journal Citation Reports (the most well-known source), we have access to several excellent free alternatives:

Scopus Journal Metrics
https://www.scopus.com/sources.uri
Offers a free preview that includes citation metrics for thousands of journals. You can search by journal title or browse by subject area.

SCImago Journal Rank (SJR)
https://www.scimagojr.com/
Completely free database that ranks journals by citation impact. Covers journals from 1999 to present and includes helpful visualization tools.

Google Scholar Metrics
Provides h-index and citation metrics for journals, particularly useful for newer or more specialized publications that might not appear in traditional databases.

Need more help?

Contact the library for assistance with finding and interpreting journal metrics, or if you need help identifying the best journals in your field for publication.