Faculty Development Guide: Journal Rankings

Journal Rankings help determine the impact and prestige a journal has within its field. Also, rankings allegedly establish a scholar's standing and authority within a field and contribute to tenure promotions.

Probably the best known journal ranking is the Thomson Reuters (formerly ISI) Journal Impact Factor. Due to its cost, the JKM Library does not subscribe to this resource. However, there are many other websites that can help determine a journal's ranking, which are included here.

A predatory publisher calls for submissions, charges author fees, has a phony editorial board, and offers no editorial support. It also asks academics to serve on editorial boards and then refuses their resignation or simply uses their name and credentials without permission.

Beall's List provides the names of predatory publisher journals. Review the Criteria for Determining Predatory Open-Access Publishers before submitting to a journal.

Professional associations may also provide information on the rankings of relevant journals, so check out their websites for this information.