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Latest Journal Impact Factors (2016) now available

What is a Journal Impact Factor?

An impact factor is a measurement looking at the average number of citations articles in a particular journal receives. 

It is calculated by:

The number of times that all items published in a journal in the previous two years (e.g. 2014 & 2015) were cited by indexed publications during the year of interest (e.g. 2016)

divided by

The total number of "citable items" published by that journal in those two years (e.g. 2014 & 2015)

Finding a Journal Impact Factor



Remember - not all journals are indexed by the Journal Citation Reports, so not all journals have an impact factor.
  • You will then see the Journal Profile, which includes the Impact Factor:

 Find the highest impact journal in your area

  • Click on Journals By Rank
  • Click 'Select Category' and select the subject area closet to your own:
  • Click Submit at the bottom of the screen.
  • Scroll down to see the journals within the category, ranked by impact factor:


Responsible use of journal impact factors:

The University of Leicester has signed the The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which includes the following advice for researchers:

- When involved in committees making decisions about funding, hiring, tenure, or promotion, make assessments based on scientific content rather than publication metrics.

- Wherever appropriate, cite primary literature in which observations are first reported rather than reviews in order to give credit where credit is due.

- Use a range of article metrics and indicators on personal/supporting statements, as evidence of the impact of individual published articles and other research outputs.


- Challenge research assessment practices that rely inappropriately on Journal Impact Factors and promote and teach best practice that focuses on the value and influence of specific research outputs.


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What is a Journal Impact Factor? An impact factor is a measurement provided by Thomson Reuters looking at the average number of citations articles in a particular journal receives.  It is calculated by: The number of times that all items published in a journal in the previous two years (e.g. 2012 & 2013) were cited by indexed publications during the year of interest (e.g. 2014) divided by The total number of "citable items" published by that journal in those two years (e.g. 2012 & 2013) Finding a Journal Impact Factor Go to Web of Science In Web of Science - Click on the link at the top of the page for Journal Citation Reports. Start typing the name of the journal and choose from the list that appears: Remember - not all journals are indexed by the Journal Citation Reports, so not all journals have an impact factor. You will then get an option to click on the Journal Profile, which includes the Impact Factor:  Find th...