Answer
The quartile in category ranking refers to the level of relevance or influence a journal has within a particular subject category based on its journal impact factor. A journal may have one or more subjects assigned to it, resulting in different quartile rankings for the different subjects. These rankings are divided into the following four quartiles:
Q1: Highest 25% of journals in the subject category
Q2: Journals placing within the 26%-50% range in the subject category
Q3: Journals placing within the 51%-75% range in the subject category
Q4: Lowest 25% of journals in the subject category
Journal Citation Reports (JCR) is a citation-based research tool used to evaluate and compare journals’ impact factor, quartile ranking, and other metrics of influence. Journal Citation Reports can be accessed directly or through the library's Web of Science database.
Follow the instructions below to search Journal Citation Reports for a journal’s quartile in category ranking, impact factor, citation indicator, and more:
- Go to Journal Citation Reports.
- Once in Journal Citation Reports, use the search bar to search for a journal. You may also use the Journals, Categories, Publishers, and Countries/Regions buttons to browse available journal profiles.
- On the journal profile page, scroll down to the Rank by Journal Impact Factor box to view the journal impact factor rank, quartile, and percentile.
For more information on journal, author, and article-level metrics, see the Bibliometrics Research Guide or reach out to Ask a Librarian for assistance.
