Glossary
Quartile (Q1–Q4)
Journals in a subject category are ranked by a citation metric and split into four equal groups. Q1 is the top quarter, Q4 the bottom. SCImago computes quartiles from Scopus data using SJR; Clarivate computes its own from Journal Citation Reports.
Reviewed 1 August 2026
In practice
Why the same journal can hold two quartiles
The bands come from different databases with different subject categories. A journal can be Q1 in one system and Q2 in another without either being wrong.
Category matters as much as the number
A journal indexed in several categories can be Q1 in a narrow one and Q3 in a broad one. Quoting the quartile without the category tells you little.
Common misconceptions
Quartile is relative to a field, so Q1 in a small category is not equivalent to Q1 in a large one.