1. Changes in 2024 IF

l  Unified ranking of 229 natural and social science categories

In 2024, Clarivate will no longer provide separate JIF rankings for the nine subject categories that are indexed in multiple editions. For example, the Psychiatry category is included in both Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCIE)™ and Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI)™. Clarivate currently publishes a separate Psychiatry ranking for each edition, and will replace these separate rankings with a single, unified ranking.

l  Creation of combined category rankings

ESCI journals usually have lower JIF than SCIE, SSCI or AHCI journals in the same category, because entry into SCIE, SSCI and AHCI should both meet four impact criteria, and 24 quality criteria that select for editorial rigor and best publishing practice. However, Clarivate notices that some ESCI journals have higher JIF than SCIE, SSCI or AHCI journals in the same category, with two reasons: first, the differentiation between ESCI and SCIE/SSCI/AHCI is not limited to a journal’s JIF at a given moment in time, but also reflects by whether the four impact criteria have been passed; second, Clarivate has paused impact evaluations since 2022 to concentrate efforts on evaluating the quality of submitted and indexed journals.

l  No JIF rankings for the arts and humanities categories

There are huge differences in average citation speed and volume between disciplines. In general, the citation speed and volume are far slower and lower in the arts and humanities than in the sciences or social sciences.

In-depth modeling of JCR data revealed that JIF rankings for the arts and humanities categories would result in multiple, very large ties in rank and further cause very skewed quartile distributions, and certain quartiles would be entirely absent from a category. Hence, JIF rankings will not be introduced for the arts and humanities categories this year.

In June, the IF and JCR zoning are about to enter a new round of announcements. Before that, let's review last year’s situation.

2. 2023 Journal IF and JCR Zoning

2023 JCR

l  Conclusion of JCR changes

ESCI and AHCI journals had obtained impact factors for the first time.

As of June 28, 2023, there were a total of 9502 SCIE journals, 8214 ESCI journals, 3557 SSCI journals, and 1834 AHCI journals.

Since 2023, the IF only reserved 1 decimal place (previously 3 decimal places).

The Ca-A Cancer Journal for Clinicians still had the highest IF, which once slumped from 508.702 to 286.130 in 2022 and became 254.7 in 2023.

Cell Research was still the domestic journal with the highest IF of 44.1. Nature, Science, and Cell had IF of 64.8, 56.9, and 64.5, respectively.

 

l  JCR revision

The IF is mostly released at the end of June each year, but some journals have not timely obtained the IF due to incomplete data or have errors in the IF. Therefore, Clarivate will also supplement or revise the IF in October or November.

l  Conclusion of changes in revision

25 journals that did not obtain IF in June were supplemented. For example, the supplemented Advances in Physics had IF reaching as high as 54.8. Journals such as Nanoscale Research Letters and Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering that did not timely obtain IF due to name changes were supplemented.

79 journals had IF elevated after revision, in which Progress of Theoretical and Experimental Physics presented the most remarkable increase in IF from 3.5 to 8.3.

26 journals had IF decreased after revision, in which the IF of Clinical and Experimental Hypertension plummeted from 12.3 to 2.6.

l  A part of list in revision