Calculation of Impact Factor

Impact Factor Formula:

\[ IF = \frac{\text{Citations in Year}}{\text{Citable Items in Prior 2 Years}} \]

Impact Factor (IF):

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1. What is Impact Factor?

The Impact Factor (IF) is a measure of the frequency with which the average article in a journal has been cited in a particular year. It is used to evaluate the relative importance of a journal within its field.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the Impact Factor formula:

\[ IF = \frac{\text{Citations in Year}}{\text{Citable Items in Prior 2 Years}} \]

Where:

\( Citations \) — Number of citations received in the current year
\( Citable Items \) — Number of citable items published in the previous two years

Explanation: The Impact Factor represents the average number of citations per published item over a two-year period.

3. Importance of Impact Factor

Details: Impact Factor is widely used by researchers, librarians, and publishers to assess journal quality and make decisions about subscriptions, submissions, and research evaluations.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the number of citations received in the current year and the number of citable items published in the prior two years. Both values must be non-negative, and citable items cannot be zero.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is considered a good Impact Factor?
A: Impact Factor values vary by field. Generally, IF > 10 is considered excellent, 5-10 is very good, 3-5 is good, and below 3 is average to low, depending on the discipline.

Q2: How often is Impact Factor calculated?
A: Impact Factor is typically calculated annually and published in Journal Citation Reports (JCR) by Clarivate Analytics.

Q3: What are the limitations of Impact Factor?
A: Limitations include field-dependent variations, potential for manipulation, and the fact that it measures journal prestige rather than individual article quality.

Q4: What counts as a "citable item"?
A: Citable items typically include research articles, reviews, and proceedings papers. Letters, editorials, and meeting abstracts are usually excluded.

Q5: Is Impact Factor the only metric for journal quality?
A: No, other metrics include CiteScore, SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP), and Eigenfactor.