In short: The Journal Impact Factor (JIF) and its quartiles come from Clarivate's Journal Citation Reports (JCR). CiteScore comes from Elsevier's Scopus, and SJR quartiles from SCImago, which uses Scopus data. Each uses a different formula, citation window and category list, so the same journal can sit in different quartiles. Check the metric your rule names, at its official source, and record the metric, year, category and the date you checked.
By On Time Publication Editorial Team · Last updated 15 October 2026
| Metric | Owner and source | How it is calculated | Quartiles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Journal Impact Factor (JIF) | Clarivate, Journal Citation Reports | Citations in the JCR year to items the journal published in the previous two years, divided by the scholarly items it published in those two years | JIF quartile by rank in each JCR category |
| CiteScore | Elsevier, Scopus | Citations over four calendar years to five peer-reviewed document types (articles, reviews, conference papers, book chapters, data papers), divided by the same document types published in those four years | CiteScore percentile and rank in each Scopus subject area |
| SJR | SCImago Journal & Country Rank (Scopus data) | Average weighted citations received in the selected year by documents published in the previous three years | Journals ranked by SJR and split into four equal groups |
Sources: JCR glossary, Scopus Support Center and SCImago help. Our guide SCI vs SCIE vs ESCI vs Scopus explains the indexes these metrics sit in; this guide covers how to look up the metrics themselves.
Search the journal by title, ISSN or publisher on SCImago Journal & Country Rank. Each journal profile shows its quartiles, SJR, h-index and other indicators by year. SCImago ranks journals by SJR within Scopus subject categories and divides them into four equal groups, with Q1 the highest. Quartiles are only given for journals and book series. The SCImago widget that journals display shows only the best quartile and its category, so check the full profile for the category your rule uses (SCImago).
Elsevier recommends quoting a metric with its name, value, the year it refers to, the data source, the date it was calculated, the journal and, for percentiles, ranks and quartiles, the subject category (Scopus Support Center). The same habit works for JIF and SJR. Save a dated screenshot or export of the official page, not the journal's own website.
COPE lists deceptive metrics among the common traits of predatory journals (COPE), and ICMJE editors warn that predatory journals may fabricate indexing and metrics (ICMJE editorial). Be wary of an "impact factor" that is not a Clarivate JIF, or of numbers you cannot find at the official source. See predatory journals: how to spot them and how to check Scopus and Web of Science indexing.
Clarivate says the JIF is a journal-level measure that should not be used to evaluate individual articles or researchers (Clarivate). The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) recommends not using journal-based metrics as a surrogate for the quality of individual articles or in hiring, promotion or funding decisions (DORA), and Elsevier advises using more than one metric alongside qualitative input. Scope fit still comes first: see how to choose a journal.
Universities and hospitals, including in the Gulf and Jordan, often set written rules about which publications count, sometimes including a quartile such as Q1 or Q2. Rules differ between institutions and change over time. Ask your research office or supervisor for the current written rule, and check it says which source (JCR, CiteScore or SJR), which year and which category counts. If the paper is part of a PhD, your university's editing rules come first: confirm your supervisor's approval, and choose flag-only editing (comments only) or full corrections in tracked changes, whichever your university allows; see PhD thesis and dissertation editing.
Send us your institution's written rule and your manuscript. Through journal submission support, our team of qualified researchers and subject-specialist editors with publishing experience shortlists journals that match it, with dated evidence from the official sources, and can edit the manuscript before submission. Submission is guided, or done by us only with the corresponding author's explicit authorisation. We work with Word, LaTeX, PDF and other files, offer Arabic support and an NDA on request, and work in Gulf and Jordan business hours. We give a custom quote based on word count, field and deadline after a free assessment, and we agree turnaround per quote. You can pay by Stripe, PayPal or bank transfer in USD, GBP, SAR, AED, JOD and other currencies; itemised invoices are available on request. Clients also get free, ongoing revision and resubmission support until the paper is published. This is support, not a promise of publication. Acceptance is always decided by the journal's editors and peer reviewers.
Independence: On Time Publication is not affiliated with Elsevier/Scopus, Clarivate/Web of Science, COPE, the ICMJE, the US National Library of Medicine (NLM), SCImago, DORA or any journal or publisher named on this page. We have no office in the GCC or Jordan. We link to public guidance so you can check it yourself.
A journal ranked in the top quarter of a subject category. Clarivate, Scopus and SCImago calculate quartiles differently, so always say which source, year and category you mean.
In Clarivate's Journal Citation Reports, which many universities subscribe to. Clarivate's Master Journal List shows which journals have a JIF. Ask your library how to access JCR.
No. CiteScore is Elsevier's Scopus metric with a four-year window; the Journal Impact Factor is Clarivate's JCR metric based on the previous two years.
Yes. Elsevier says CiteScore metrics are free to view on Scopus, including the percentile and rank in each subject area.
Because JCR, Scopus and SCImago use different formulas, citation windows, category lists and update years, and a journal can sit in several categories with different ranks. The SCImago widget shows only the journal's best quartile.
Journal Citation Reports is released once a year. The 2026 release came out on 17 June 2026 and reflects 2025 data.
No. Clarivate says the JIF is a journal-level measure and should not be used to evaluate individual articles or researchers, and DORA makes the same recommendation.
No. Acceptance is decided by the journal's editors and peer reviewers. We shortlist journals that match your rule, with evidence, and edit your manuscript.
We link to official sources so you can check the rules yourself. Always follow your target journal's and institution's current instructions.
Share your institution's index or quartile rule and your manuscript, and we will tell you honestly which journals fit, with dated evidence, in a free assessment.
Pricing: custom quote based on word count, field and deadline. See how pricing works or contact us.
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