Journal Impact Factor Explained: What Counts as Good? (2026-2027)

I am Katherine Alexander, PhD, UK Academic Editor at Premier Dissertations. I have helped thousands of students and researchers understand journal metrics so they can make smarter publishing decisions. This guide explains what a journal impact factor actually measures, what counts as "good" in 2026-2027, and how to avoid the common confusions around platform-level names like ScienceDirect and SAGE.

If you already have a target journal in mind, use our journal matching tool to check its fit for your research.

What is a Journal Impact Factor?

The Journal Impact Factor (JIF) is a metric calculated by Clarivate Analytics for journals indexed in the Web of Science. It measures the average number of citations received in a given year by articles published in the journal during the previous two years.

In simple terms, a journal with an impact factor of 5 means that, on average, articles published in that journal two years ago were cited five times last year.

The impact factor is widely used as a proxy for journal influence, but it is not a perfect measure. It does not tell you whether an individual article will be cited, and it varies significantly between disciplines.

How is the Impact Factor Calculated?

The formula is straightforward:

For example, the 2025 impact factor for a journal is calculated using citations received in 2025 to articles published in 2023 and 2024.

Only citable items such as research articles, reviews, and conference papers are counted. Editorials, letters, and news items are usually excluded from the denominator, which is one reason the metric can be manipulated.

What Counts as a Good Impact Factor in 2026-2027?

There is no single number that is universally good. The answer depends entirely on your field.

Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

An impact factor between 1 and 3 is often considered respectable. Many leading journals in these fields do not have impact factors above 5. Review articles and highly specialised journals can push higher, but a score of 2 to 4 is generally strong.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine

Impact factors tend to be higher. A score of 5 to 10 is solid in many biological and physical science fields. Top multidisciplinary journals like Nature and Science regularly exceed 30, and medical journals like The Lancet can reach above 50.

Business and Management

A score of 3 to 6 is typical for well-regarded journals. The very top journals, such as the Academy of Management Journal, can exceed 10, but those are outliers. Most good, credible journals in this field sit between 2 and 5.

The best approach is to compare a journal's impact factor against others in the same subject category using the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) quartile ranking. A Q1 journal is in the top 25% of its category, and that is a stronger signal of quality than a raw number alone.

Impact Factors by Major Publisher (2026-2027)

Publishers do not have a single impact factor. Each journal they publish has its own score. However, the following ranges give a realistic sense of where journals from major publishers typically sit in 2026-2027.

Always check the specific journal's current impact factor in JCR or on the journal's official website. These ranges shift annually.

Does ScienceDirect Have an Impact Factor?

No, ScienceDirect does not have its own impact factor. ScienceDirect is Elsevier's platform for hosting and accessing journal articles and book chapters. It is not a single journal, so it cannot have one impact factor.

Each individual journal hosted on ScienceDirect has its own impact factor. For example, The Lancet, published by Elsevier and available on ScienceDirect, is one of the highest-impact journals in medicine, with an impact factor that has recently ranged from roughly 88 to over 100 depending on the JCR release year. Journal of Business Research, also Elsevier and on ScienceDirect, usually sits between 8 and 12. The platform itself has no score.

If you see a search result asking for "ScienceDirect impact factor," what the user actually needs is the impact factor of a specific journal they found on ScienceDirect. Always check the journal title, not the platform name.

Does SAGE / SAGE Publications Have an Impact Factor?

No, SAGE Publications does not have a single impact factor. SAGE is a major academic publisher that produces hundreds of journals across the social sciences, humanities, health, and business. Each of those journals has its own impact factor.

For example, Journal of Management, published by SAGE, has an impact factor typically around 9 to 11. Sage Open, also from SAGE, is a broad open-access journal with an impact factor usually between 2.0 and 2.5, depending on the release year.

The correct question is not "What is SAGE's impact factor?" but "What is the impact factor of the specific SAGE journal I am considering?"

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