How Is Impact Factor Calculated

Impact Factor Calculator

Impact Factor Formula:

\[ IF = \frac{\text{Citations}}{\text{Citable Articles}} \]

Journal Impact Factor:

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1. What Is Impact Factor?

Impact Factor (IF) is a measure of the frequency with which the average article in a journal has been cited in a particular year. It is used to evaluate the relative importance of a journal within its field.

2. How Is Impact Factor Calculated?

The Impact Factor is calculated using the formula:

\[ IF = \frac{\text{Citations in Current Year to Articles Published in Previous Two Years}}{\text{Total Number of Citable Articles Published in Previous Two Years}} \]

Where:

\( Citations \) — Number of citations received in the current year
\( Citable Articles \) — Number of citable articles published in the previous two years

Explanation: The Impact Factor provides a quantitative assessment of a journal's influence by measuring how often its articles are cited relative to the number of articles it publishes.

3. Importance Of Impact Factor

Details: Impact Factor is widely used by researchers, librarians, and institutions to evaluate journal quality, make publication decisions, and assess research performance. Higher impact factors generally indicate greater journal prestige.

4. Using The Calculator

Tips: Enter the number of citations received in the current year and the total number of citable articles published in the previous two years. Both values must be valid positive numbers.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is considered a good Impact Factor?
A: Impact Factor values vary by field. Generally, IF above 10 is considered excellent, 5-10 is very good, and 2-5 is good in most scientific fields.

Q2: Who calculates and publishes Impact Factors?
A: Impact Factors are calculated and published annually by Clarivate Analytics in their Journal Citation Reports (JCR).

Q3: What time period does the Impact Factor cover?
A: The standard Impact Factor calculation uses a 2-year window, but 5-year Impact Factors are also available for journals where citations accumulate more slowly.

Q4: Are there limitations to Impact Factor?
A: Yes, Impact Factor can be influenced by journal self-citations, varies across disciplines, and doesn't reflect the quality of individual articles.

Q5: What are alternatives to Impact Factor?
A: Alternatives include CiteScore, SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP), and Google Scholar Metrics.