Journal Citation Report 2019 update released

The Journal Citation Report, released today, delivers new benefits to enhance users' understanding of journal performance and a 'rich array of publisher-independent data', according to the Web of Science Group.

The organisation, part of Clarivate Analytics, says the 2019 release aggregates the meaningful connections of citations created by the research community through data, metrics and analysis of the world’s high-quality academic journals.

The Journal Citation Report (JCR) is billed as the only journal report of its kind which is both complete and editorially selective; it contains all the data required to understand the components that index the value and impact of each journal as it captures all citations to the journal – including non-article materials such as editorials and policy-relevant comment. It also allows the status of a publication in that journal to be better interpreted, as it captures and highlights the network of references that connect one journal with another while identifying the key stakeholders – at institutional and international level – who lead that journal’s community.

The structured data are curated by a global team who continuously evaluate and select the collections of journals, books and conference proceedings covered in the Web of Science Core Collection to ensure accuracy in evaluating journal impact. These expert insights enable researchers, publishers, editors, librarians and funders to explore the key drivers of a journal’s value for diverse audiences, making better use of the wide body of data and metrics available in the JCR, including the Journal Impact Factor (JIF).  

Keith Collier, managing director for publisher services at the Web of Science Group, said: 'Each year, millions of scholarly articles are published containing tens of millions of citations. Each citation is a meaningful connection between two pieces of research, showing how research connects.   

'The JCR takes all of this selective, structured and comprehensive citation data and delivers it to the research community, so that they can make better decisions, leading to better outcomes. The journal selection that underpins the JCR is informed by more than 50 years’ experience of developing a citation index of substantive value, which cannot be matched. 

'This value is founded on a proven and trusted selection process as the journals included are chosen on criteria that are balanced across research cultures and regional domains, and on complete indexing of all documents that should be included and none that should be excluded. This meticulous attention and care is why the JCR has stood the test of time, to become part of the fabric of the research society.'  

Web of Science Group highlights the key developments  for 2019 as:

• The journals selected for inclusion: The database is maintained and updated to reflect the ceaseless progression of research and scholarship, allowing researchers to explore new fields and see what earlier research influences and impacts evolving fields. This year 283 journals have been added, 108 of which are fully open access. The JCR report reflects cover-to-cover indexing of 2.3 million articles, reviews and other source items. The 11,877 journals hail from 81 countries across five continents; 
• New categories added: Careful management of the subject categories by which the journals are organised is essential to maintaining a logical content relationship within the category and to ensure that the categories are relevant to researchers and can accommodate new research areas. The report covers 236 disciplines, including the introduction of three new ones: Quantum Science & Technology (SCIE), Development Studies (SSCI) and Regional & Urban Planning (SSCI); and
• Cleansing of the list: Seventeen journals have been suppressed from the JCR this year to ensure the integrity of the reports, representing 0.14% of the journals listed. The JCR is the only citation index which monitors and excludes journals that demonstrate anomalous citation behaviour including where there is evidence of excessive journal self-citation and citation stacking. 

The 2019 update includes new benefits which build on the innovations from 2018, which delivered richer, more detailed information to enhance users’ understanding of journal performance:

• An enhanced Article Match Retrieval link service so publishers can directly link to the Journal profile page and promote this link on their website(s); 
• The ability to print/download the entire Journal profile page via the "Printable version" links ;
• New graphs to show both the Journal’s percentile rank in a category by JCR year within the Journal Impact Factor Tile and key indicator metrics for a journal from within the Journal profile Page; and
• A view of the breakdown of the “Uncited items” per article and the ability to view the Cited and Citing Journal Data in new JCR profile page.

 The citation data, impact and influence metrics, and indicators contained within the JCR, are a vital resource for the entire research community: publishers, librarians, funders, institutions and individual academics. Publishers use the JCR to understand how their journals are performing, and to benchmark them against others in their discipline. Librarians use it to understand which journals are the most important to their institutions and researchers’ success and work, and which journals to subscribe to. The JCR is used by researchers as a definitive list and guide to discover and select the most appropriate journals to read and in which to publish their research findings.       

Visit the  Journal Citation Reports  website to explore all data, metrics, and analysis available.