Journal Ranking System
Research Edge Program - Module 2
Research Databases, Indexing Platforms, and Journal Ranking System
Prof. Dr. Saima Zahid
Department of Physical Therapy and
Rehabilitation Sciences
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences
Superior University, Lahore
Learning Objectives
1. To introduce students to the journal ranking systems.
2. To teach students how to evaluate the quality of research articles
using journal ranking systems.
3. To demonstrate the importance of using reputable sources in
academic research.
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Outline
• Criteria needs to consider while finding journal
• Impact Factor and other journal metrics
• Aim and Scope of the Journal
• Best Tools to find a Journal
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How to evaluate
Journal
Ranking?
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Peer Review Process
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Frequently asked Questions
[Link] can I find the best match journal with my research?
[Link] can I find the journal that charge less?
[Link] can I find the journal that does not charge at all?
[Link] can I find a journal that has very fast publishing time?
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Criteria to Choosing a Journal
Journal used by Yourself/Mentors/Advisor/colleagues
What are the aims and scope of the journal?
Has the journal published articles that are similar to yours?
What Types of articles are published (e.g. Original research, Review
articles, Case studies etc.?)
Make a list of Journals that matched your work, then you can select one best-suited journal among all of
them
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Criteria to Consider
What are the journal’s restrictions?
Is it open access journal or not?
Length of article accepted (e.g. Words count, No of Tables and Figures
allowed etc.)
Any specific Submission guidelines
What is the journal’s Impact Factor
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Criteria to Consider
Reputation of the journal
Acceptance/Rejection rates
Targeted Audience of the journals
Time to publication (Speed of peer review)
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A journal always has Aims & Scope
• Subject of the journal
• Types of articles
Aims and Scope • Quality of the journal
• Coverage of the journal
• Association with group (Elsevier, Wiley,
Taylor and Francis etc.)
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Potential Predatory Journals
[Link]
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How to
Check the Journal's Website
identify
Numerous errors, inconsistent layouts, and broken links.
Predatory journals may offer vague or non-existent contact information
predatory
Charge a high fee for publication without providing clear information about their
journals
services and peer-review process
Lack of a transparent review process.
Aggressive Marketing
Can not be found in the University Repository/Database
Can not search your publication directly from Google
Too many research areas
Rapid Publication Process
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Avoid Immediate
Rejection
Must consider the
Follow Authors’ Avoid formatting
Aims and Scope
Guidelines errors
of the journal
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Concept
Checkpoint 2 🎯
Uploaded on your LMS Course
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Examples of
Metrics
Researcher level Article level Journal Level
• Citation Count • Cite Score
• Document Count
• • Journal Impact Factor
• h-index Outputs in the top Quartile
• Scimago Journal Rank (SJR)
• Social Media
• Journal Citation Indicator (JCI)
• Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP)
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H-Index
THE H-INDEX (INTRODUCED BY AN AUTHOR HAS AN H-INDEX EXAMPLE: AN H-INDEX OF 15
JORGE HIRSCH IN 2005) OF H IF H OF THEIR PAPERS MEANS THE RESEARCHER HAS
MEASURES BOTH THE HAVE BEEN CITED AT LEAST H 15 PAPERS WITH AT LEAST 15
PRODUCTIVITY AND CITATION TIMES EACH. CITATIONS EACH.
IMPACT OF A RESEARCHER (OR
A JOURNAL).
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Journal Impact Factor
The Journal Impact Factor measures the average number of citations received in a
given year by papers published in the journal during the previous two years.
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Journal Citation Indicator (JCI
– Clarivate)
A field-normalized metric was
introduced in 2021. Allows fairer comparisons
JCI = Average Category across disciplines by adjusting
Normalized Citation Impact for differences in citation
(CNCI) for a journal over 3 practices.
years.
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Scopus Scimago country and journal Rank (SJR)
The SCImago Journal & Country Rank is a portal that includes the journals
and country scientific indicators developed from the information contained in
the Scopus database
The SJR indicator is a size-independent metric aimed at measuring the current
average prestige per paper of journals. A citation from a journal with a
relatively high SJR is worth more than a citation from a journal with a lower
SJR
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SJR compared to
Impact Factor
• SJR is calculated using citation data from Scopus
• IF is calculated using citation data from Web of Science
• Differences in the methodology of calculating indices
• SJR attributes different weights to citations based on the prestige of
the citing journal
• Excessive self-citations are not included in the calculation of SJR,
because the number of references that a journal may direct to itself
is limited to a maximum of 33 % of its total references
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Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP – Scopus)
Example: Medicine
Adjusts citation journals usually receive Useful for cross-
counts according to more citations than
disciplinary
discipline citation mathematics, so SNIP
balances such comparison.
potential.
differences.
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What is Journal Quartile
Ranking?
JOURNAL QUARTILES (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) ARE A THE RANKING IS USUALLY DERIVED
RANKING SYSTEM USED TO CLASSIFY FROM DATABASES SUCH AS SCOPUS
JOURNALS WITHIN A SUBJECT CATEGORY (CITESCORE QUARTILES) OR WEB OF
BASED ON THEIR IMPACT AND CITATION SCIENCE (JOURNAL IMPACT FACTOR
PERFORMANCE. QUARTILES).
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Quartile Categories
• Q1 (Top 25%) → Journals in the highest tier of impact in
their subject category (most prestigious, widely cited)
• Q2 (26%–50%) → Above-average journals, good impact
• Q3 (51%–75%) → Average impact journals, still
reputable
• Q4 (76%–100%) → Lowest tier journals in terms of
citation impact within their subject area.
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Why Quartiles
Matter?
Researchers → Aim to publish in Q1/Q2 journals for higher visibility and
academic recognition.
Institutions & Funders → Use quartiles to measure research quality and
impact.
Career Advancement → Publishing in Q1 journals strengthens CVs,
promotions, and grant applications.
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Scientific Publishing Nowadays
Together they publish
35% of all journals
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Concept
Checkpoint 3 🎯
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Scouting for relevant Journals
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Journal Finding Tools
1. Web of Science Master Journal List
2. Scopus Scimago country and journal Rank (SJR)
3. IEEE Publication-Recommender
4. Journal Finder by Elsevier
5. Journal Suggester
6. Wiley journal finder
7. HEC Journal Recognition System(HJRS)
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🔎 Steps to Verify a Journal/Article in Scopus
1. Go to the Scopus Sources Page
• Visit: [Link]
• This page lists all journals covered in Scopus.
2. Search the Journal
• Enter the journal name, ISSN, or publisher in the search bar.
• Ensure you type the exact name (e.g., BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders).
3. Check Journal Details
• Confirm if the journal appears in the results.
• Look for:
• Coverage years (e.g., 2015–present)
• Publisher details
• Subject area
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🔎 Steps to Verify a Journal/Article in Scopus
4. Verify Indexing & Metrics
• Review provided metrics:
• CiteScore
• SJR (Scimago Journal Rank)
• SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper)
• Check the quartile ranking (Q1–Q4) for subject categories.
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SCOPUS: The largest up-to-date collection of global,
unbiased and expertly sourced research
Scopus Scimago country and journal Rank (SJR)
[Link]
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Journal Finder by Elsevier
[Link]
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Journal Suggester by Springer
[Link]
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Journal finder by Wiley
[Link]
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HEC Journal Finder
[Link]
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Links of Journal finding Websites
Web of Science Master Journal List: [Link]
Scopus Scimago country and journal Rank (SJR): [Link]
IEEE Publication-Recommender: https:// .[Link]/home
Journal Finder by Elsevier: [Link]
Journal Suggester by Springer: [Link]
Wiley journal finder by Wiley: [Link]
HEC Journal Recognition System(HJRS): [Link]
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Concept
Checkpoint 4 🎯
Uploaded on your LMS Course
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Thank You
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