Journal Metrics Overview
Scholars utilize journal metrics as a tool for evaluating the influence of a specific journal within a particular academic domain. Authors might also look at journal metrics to decide where to publish their academic work.
This chart was adapted from the Publication Metrics guide at California State University, Dominguez Hills which was licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It has been adapted by Georgette Nicolosi.
Journal Acceptance Rates
Acceptance rates are rarely disclosed on journal websites, and their calculation methods may vary.While some journals base their calculation on all manuscripts received, others consider only reviewed manuscripts.
Certain scholarly societies publish acceptance rates for all their journals, searchable online by the society's name. For direct acceptance rate information, reaching out to the editor is also an option.
Journals published with Elsevier often include acceptance rates. Search for a specific title to view acceptance rates.
Scimago Journal Rankings
The SCImago Journal & Country Rank offers a freely accessible search platform featuring journal indicators and citation details derived from the Scopus database. It categorizes journals by major thematic areas, subject categories, and country, allowing for comparative analysis or individual scrutiny. Access to this data is also available directly through the Scopus database.
In Scopus, select "Sources," in the top right corner to compare publications.
What is SCImago Journal Rank (SCR?)
The SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) is a metric used to assess the prestige of academic journals. It is a journal-level metric, meaning it evaluates the overall impact of a journal rather than individual articles.
How is SCImago Journal Rank Calculated?
The SJR, specifically the newer version called SJR2, is calculated by taking the weighted number of citations a journal's citable publications receive in a given year, based on articles published in the three preceding years. This total is then divided by the number of citable publications in the journal during those same three years. Citations from more prestigious journals carry greater weight, with the "prestige" being influenced by the field. Additionally, SJR considers the "closeness" of journals through co-citation networks, giving more weight to citations from closely related journals.
How do I Interpret a SCIMago Journal Rank?:
To interpret an SJR, consider the following example: If The Journal of Innovative Studies had an SJR of 2.3 in 2020, this means that articles published in The Journal of Innovative Studies during 2017, 2018, and 2019 received an average of 2.3 weighted citations in 2020. This reflects the journal's relative prestige and influence in its field during that time period.
Note: It is important to remember that SJRs are based solely on citations from publications indexed in Scopus; citations from non-Scopus publications are not included.