what is Impact factor for a scientific journal

1. Understanding
Impact Factor:
A Guide to
Measuring
Journal and
Article
Influence
~ Pranavi
Uppuluri
Pranavi Uppuluri 1

2. A bibliometric measure that
reflects the frequency with
which the average article in a
journal has been cited in a
particular year
Developed by Eugene Garfield in
1955
Used to assess the relative
importance of academic journals
within their respective fields
What is Impact Factor?
Pranavi Uppuluri 2

3. Widely used by researchers,
librarians, and funding agencies
to evaluate research quality
Influences journal rankings and
prestige
Plays a role in decisions
related to tenure, promotion,
and funding allocations
Why is Impact Factor Important?
Pranavi Uppuluri 3

4. Calculating Impact Factor
Formula:
Impact Factor (IF) = Total citations in the JCR year /
Total articles published in the previous two years
Example:
If a journal published 100 articles in 2021 and 2022, and
those articles received a total of 300 citations in 2023,
then the journal's Impact Factor for 2023 would be 3.
Pranavi Uppuluri 4

5. Pranavi Uppuluri 5
While the Impact Factor (IF) is a widely used metric to evaluate the relative
importance of academic journals, it has also been subject to criticism for its
limitations and potential misuse. Critics argue that the IF can be manipulated
by journals, does not account for the quality of individual articles, and is
not applicable to all fields of research.
Why is Impact Factor a Controversial Metric?
Manipulation
Lack of Individual
Article Assessment
Inapplicability to All
Fields
Here are some of the key criticisms of the Impact Factor

6. Altmetric score: Measures the
online attention an article
receives through social media,
news mentions, and other online
sources
Field-normalized citation
impact: Compares an article's
citation count to the average
citation count for articles in
the same field
H-index: Measures an author's
overall productivity and impact
based on their most highly cited
publications
Alternative Metrics to Impact Factor
Pranavi Uppuluri 6

7. "Research is to see what
everybody else has seen,
and to think what nobody
else has thought.“
~ Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Pranavi Uppuluri 7