impact factor
nounPronunciation: /ˈɪmpækt ˌfæktər/
Also written as: IF
A metric that measures the average number of citations received by articles published in a journal during a specific time period.
Full Definition
Impact factor is a journal-level metric calculated annually by dividing the number of citations in a given year to articles published in the previous two years by the total number of citable articles published in those two years. This metric is widely used in academic publishing to assess journal prestige and influence within scientific communities. In abiotic stress research, journals with higher impact factors are often considered more prestigious venues for publishing significant findings. However, the metric has limitations and should be considered alongside other measures of research quality and impact.
Plain English
A number that shows how often articles from a particular scientific journal get cited by other researchers, used to judge how important or influential the journal is.
In Editorial Context
A key metric considered by authors when selecting journals for submission and by editorial boards when assessing their journal's standing in the scientific community.
Etymology & History
Developed by Eugene Garfield for the Science Citation Index to help librarians make journal selection decisions
Originally intended for library collection decisions, now widely used for journal ranking and academic evaluation
Usage
"Authors increasingly target journals with higher impact factors when submitting their abiotic stress research findings."
Usage note: Should not be used to evaluate individual articles or researchers; applies only to journals
Context: journal selection, academic evaluation, publishing decisions, tenure reviews
Region: international
Also known as
Don't confuse with
Often confused with article-level metrics or author-level metrics like h-index