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Writing 101-10: Writing in the Disciplines - Psychology (Sandoval, Fall 2024)

Journal Impact Factor (JIF)

The Journal Impact Factor (JIF) is a measure of the frequency in which the "average article" from a particular journal has been cited in a given period of time. It is one way scholars measure the relative importance of a journal within its field. 

Use InCites Journal Citation Reports (JCR) to locate Journal Impact Factors and JIF quartile rankings. 

Journal Quartile Rankings

Journal quartile rankings are calculated by the JIF of the journal and dividing it by the number journals in that category to find x.  They are then distributed among as follows:

Q1: 0.0 < x ≤ 0.25

Q2: 0.25 < x ≤ 0.5

Q3: 0.5 < x ≤ 0.75

Q4: 0.75 <x

When searching in Web of Science, hover over the journal title in the results list or item record to view the journal's quartile ranking 

Image from University of Denver Libraries

Use JCR

In JCR, search for

  • a specific journal title
  • a category

JCR can show you the

  • most frequently cited journals in a field.
  • highest impact journals in a field.
  • various metrics; see Default, Impact, Normalized and Source.