Journal Impact Factor™
Definition
The mean number of citations to research articles in that journal over the preceding two years. It is a proprietary and opaque calculation marketed by Clarivate**™**. Journal Impact Factors are not associated with the content quality or the peer review process.
References:
- Brembs, B., Button, K., & Munafò, M. (2013). Deep impact: unintended consequences of journal rank. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 291. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00291
- Curry, S. (2012). Sick of impact factors. http://occamstypewriter.org/scurry/2012/08/13/sick-of-impact-factors/
- (2018). Six principles for assessing scientists for hiring, promotion, and tenure. Impact of Social Sciences Blog.
- Rossner, M., Van Epps, H., & Hill, E. (2008). Show me the data. https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.200711140
- Sharma, M., Sarin, A., Gupta, P., Sachdeva, S., & Desai, A. (2014). Journal impact factor: its use, significance and limitations. World Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 13(2), 146. https://doi.org/10.4103/1450-1147.139151
Originally drafted by: Jacob Miranda
Reviewed by: Tsvetomira Dumbalska, Adam Parker
Suggest an improvement
Spotted an error, a broken link, or think this entry is missing something? Let us know — this goes directly to the glossary team.