Journal Impact Factor (IF)
The Impact Factor (IF) is a widely recognized metric that provides a quantitative tool for ranking, evaluating, categorizing, and comparing journals. It reflects the average number of citations received in a particular year by articles published in the journal during the preceding two years.
The Impact Factor for the year 2025 is calculated as follows:
- A = Number of citations in 2025 to items published in 2023 and 2022
- B = Number of citable items published in 2023 and 2022
- Impact Factor 2025 = A ÷ B
For example, if a journal received 500 citations in 2025 for articles published in 2023 and 2022, and published 100 citable items during that time, its 2025 Impact Factor would be 5.0.
This metric helps eliminate biases from absolute citation counts that may favor larger, older, or more frequently issued journals. It provides a normalized measure of how often the “average article” is cited, allowing fairer comparisons across different journals.
Impact Factors are published annually by Clarivate Analytics in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR).