Definition · Plain-language
What is the SCImago Journal Rank (SJR)?
The SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) is a prestige-based metric that measures the scientific influence of scholarly journals. It accounts for both the number of citations received by a journal and the importance or prestige of the journals from which those citations originate, offering a sophisticated alternative to simple citation counts.
The step most authors miss
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The Algorithm Behind SCImago Journal Rank
The SJR algorithm operates by establishing a network of journals based on their citations. It uses a PageRank-style system where a citation acts as a vote of quality. However, not all votes are equal: a citation from a highly prestigious journal transfers more prestige to the recipient than a citation from an obscure or rarely cited journal. The algorithm also applies a correction factor to prevent excessive prestige accumulation by multi-disciplinary journals or those with high citation densities, ensuring fairer ranking across different fields.
SJR vs. Journal Impact Factor (JIF)
SJR differs from the traditional Journal Impact Factor (JIF) in several ways. While JIF is a simple mathematical average calculated by dividing the number of citations by citable documents over a two-year window (using Web of Science data), SJR uses a three-year window of Scopus data. Furthermore, JIF does not weight citations by source prestige, meaning a citation from an obscure journal counts the same as one from a top-tier publication, whereas SJR provides a weighted assessment of influence.
How to Use the SCImago Portal for Research
The SCImago Journal & Country Rank is a public, free portal that allows researchers to search for journals, compare metrics, and analyze subject categories. On the portal, journals are categorized into quartiles (Q1 to Q4) based on their SJR values. This makes it an invaluable tool for authors looking to find reputable journals in their field, evaluate publication trends, and verify that a journal has a consistent track record of academic influence.
Key facts
At a glance
- SJR is a size-independent metric that ranks journals by their average prestige per article.
- It uses citation data from the Scopus database, covering a three-year publication window.
- Citations from highly prestigious journals weigh more than those from lesser-known publications.
- It normalises for citation habits within different subject areas, allowing cross-disciplinary comparisons.
- The SJR metric is freely accessible online via the SCImago Journal & Country Rank portal.
Common misconceptions
What people often get wrong
Often heard: SJR and CiteScore are the same metric.
Actually: While both use Scopus data, CiteScore is a simple average of citations per document, whereas SJR is a complex prestige-weighted metric.
Often heard: A high SJR score guarantees a journal is free from editorial bias or predatory practices.
Actually: SJR is a statistical measure of citation impact. While highly correlated with quality, it must be combined with qualitative checks to avoid predatory journals.
Often heard: SJR only measures journals in the hard sciences.
Actually: SJR covers all journals indexed in Scopus, including those in the social sciences, arts, and humanities.
