Impact factor
The Journal Impact Factor is a metric published by Clarivate in Journal Citation Reports, based on citations to a journal's recent articles. Because it carries weight in hiring and promotion, a market exists in invented metrics designed to resemble it.
Reviewed 1 August 2026
In practice
How to tell a real figure from an imitation
A genuine impact factor comes from Journal Citation Reports and nowhere else. Figures described as 'global impact factor', 'universal impact factor' or similar are issued by organisations with no relationship to Clarivate and mean nothing.
Alternatives that are not imitations
CiteScore from Elsevier and SJR from SCImago are real metrics computed from Scopus data. They are not impact factors and do not claim to be.
Common misconceptions
A high impact factor does not mean an article will be widely cited. The figure describes a journal average, and citation distributions are heavily skewed.