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Web of Science

Web of science is a collection of multidisciplinary databases and so useful for most researchers. this guide will show you how to use it to find the information you are looking for.

Journal metrics

See the metrics for a journal by searching for its name as the Publication titles. You can then click on the name of the journal on one of the records of the search results and choose View Journal Impact. 

screenshot from Web of Science. In the search box at the top of the screen it shows that Harvard Business Review has been searched for as the publication title. The top article is 'AI won't give you a new sustainable advantage.' The name of the journal in the record has been clicked on - there's then the option of View Journal Impact and Search within Web of Science

 

An extra column will then appear on the right hand side of the page giving details about the journal:

  • Journal Impact Factor. This is calculated from data indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection. It should be used with careful attention to the many factors that influence citation rates, such as the volume of publication and citations characteristics of the subject area and type of journal. It is calculated by Citations in the previous year to items published the two years before that (e.g. Citations in 2024 to items published in 2022 + 2023) divided by number of citable items in previous two years. 
  • Category Ranking. Journals within a category are sorted in descending order by Journal Impact Factor (JIF) resulting in the Category Ranking. A separate rank is shown for each category in which the journal is listed in Journal Citation Report. 
  • Journal Citation Indicator. This is a measure of the average Category Normalized Citation Impact (CNCI) of citable items (articles and reviews) published by a journal over a recent three year period. It is used to help you evaluate journals based on other metrics besides the Journal Impact Factor (JIF).

Click on Learn More below those details to be linked through to the Journal Citation Reports page for that journal. 

  • Screenshot from Web of Science. Harvard Business Review has been searched for and there is a new column on the right hand side showing the Journal Impact Factor and Journal Citation Indicator.