Impact Factor Formula:
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The 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.
The calculator uses the Impact Factor formula:
Where:
Explanation: The Impact Factor represents the average number of citations per published article, providing an indicator of journal influence and quality.
Details: Impact Factor is crucial for researchers, librarians, and publishers to assess journal quality, make publication decisions, and evaluate academic performance.
Tips: Enter the number of citations and citable articles as whole numbers. Citations must be ≥ 0, and citable articles must be > 0.
Q1: What is considered a good Impact Factor?
A: Impact Factor values vary by field. Generally, IF > 10 is excellent, 5-10 is very good, 3-5 is good, and below 3 is average to low.
Q2: How often is Impact Factor calculated?
A: Journal Impact Factors are typically calculated annually and published in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR).
Q3: What time period does Impact Factor cover?
A: Standard Impact Factor calculation uses citations from the current year to articles published in the two previous years.
Q4: Are there limitations to Impact Factor?
A: Yes, it can be influenced by review articles (often highly cited), varies across disciplines, and doesn't measure individual article quality.
Q5: What are alternatives to Impact Factor?
A: Alternatives include CiteScore, SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP), and h-index.