Faculty Resources

Journal Impact Factors are a way to measure the value of a journal within its field of study.  Several services quantitative tools for ranking, evaluating, categorizing, and comparing journals. Faculty sometimes use this as a way to determine the best academic journals to consider for submission. It is also used as a justification towards merit or tenure.

Eigenfactor: Ranks and Maps Scientific Knowledge:

Why Use Eigenfactor?

1) Article Influence Scores:  Evaluates the prestige of a journal based on an algorithm of citation references.

2) Eigenfactor Score:  Measures overall value provided by all of the articles published in a given journal in a year

3) Value of Journal:  Compares price of a journal with article citation influence.

3) Expands coverage to over 115,000 items: Ranks scholarly journals in the natural and social sciences as well as newsprint, PhD theses, and popular magazines.

More: About design of ranking algorithms

How to use:

1. Go to eigenfactor.org
2. Search for a single journal name or choose a subject category.
3. Select a year.
4. Click Search.

Note: advanced search (searches by Thomson JCR subject categories, publisher, and other fields) is also available.

The SCImago Journal & Country Rank (SJR) is a portal that includes the journals and country scientific indicators developed from the information contained in the Scopus® database by Elsevier.  It is a free resource.  Journals are organized within major thematic categories as well as the Scopus Classification. 

How to use:

1. Go to SJR and click on Journal Rankings.
2. Select Subject Area, e.g., Nursing.
3. Select Subject Category, e.g., Maternity and Midwifery.
4. Select other categories as needed and click Refresh.