Scopus, Quartile, Q1 Journals, SJR, Journal Ranking, PhD India, UGC API, NAAC, 2026

Scopus Quartile Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Explained | How to Check Free

Scopus Quartile Explained: What is Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 and How to Check Any Journal's Quartile for Free

Complete Guide for Researchers and PhD Students | Step-by-Step Quartile Check | India UGC & NAAC Guide | 7 Myths Busted

Last Updated: July 2026  |  By ResearchJournalRank Team  |  For: Researchers, PhD Students, Faculty, Indian Academics

 

Introduction The Question Every Researcher Asks

When you are choosing a journal to submit your research paper to, one question comes up immediately: what is this journal's quartile? Is it Q1? Is Q2 good enough? And how do you actually check?

Quartile ranking is one of the most searched and least well-understood concepts in academic publishing. Researchers know they need to publish in a Q1 or Q2 Scopus journal for UGC API scoring, for NAAC accreditation, for PhD completion at Indian universities, and for grant applications. But many researchers are unclear on exactly what quartile means, how it is calculated, why the same journal can be different quartiles in different databases, and how to look it up correctly before submitting.

This complete guide answers all of those questions with a step-by-step method to check any journal's Scopus quartile for free, a clear explanation of what Q1 through Q4 mean in practice, how SJR quartile differs from Impact Factor quartile, and exactly what each quartile counts for in India's academic evaluation systems.

 

Check any journal's quartile right now free: researchjournalrank.com/indexed/scopus

 

What is a Scopus Quartile? The Simple Explanation

A Scopus quartile is a ranking that places a journal within one of four equal groups Q1, Q2, Q3, or Q4 based on how it performs relative to other journals in the same subject category, measured by its SJR (SCImago Journal Rank) score.

Think of it this way: take all the journals indexed in Scopus within a specific subject area say, Environmental Chemistry. Rank them from highest to lowest by SJR score. The top 25% are Q1. The next 25% are Q2. The next 25% are Q3. The bottom 25% are Q4. That's it.

The critical point: quartile is always relative to a specific subject category not to all journals across all fields globally. A journal that is Q1 in a small or specialised field might be Q3 if compared across all science journals. This is why you always check the quartile for your specific research field, not just an overall score.

 

Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 What Each Quartile Means in Practice

Quartile	SJR Position	What It Means	Academic Value	Who Should Target It
Q1	Top 25% in field	Best journals in the subject highest citation impact and prestige	Highest strongest for promotions, grants, NAAC	Experienced researchers with strong, novel papers
Q2	25% – 50% in field	Very good journals well-respected, widely read, properly indexed	Very good fully valid for UGC API, NAAC, PhD rules	PhD students and early-career researchers
Q3	50% – 75% in field	Legitimate journals lower impact but genuine peer review	Acceptable counts for basic Scopus requirements	First-time authors, niche topics, short communications
Q4	Bottom 25% in field	Indexed but lowest citation impact in the subject category	Limited valid for indexing but weak career value	Only if paper is very specialised with no Q1–Q3 fit

 

Key insight for Indian researchers: Q1 and Q2 are both strong choices for publication. Both fully qualify for UGC API score, PhD completion, and NAAC purposes. The difference is in competitive advantage Q1 carries more weight in promotions, international recognition, and grant applications. For a first publication as a PhD student, a well-matched Q2 journal is an excellent and realistic target.

 

What is SJR and How Does It Determine Quartile?

SJR stands for SCImago Journal Rank. It is a metric developed by the SCImago research group using Scopus citation data. Unlike a simple citation count, SJR is a prestige-weighted metric it gives more weight to citations that come from other highly-cited journals. This means a citation from Nature counts more toward a journal's SJR than a citation from a lower-impact journal.

The SJR score is calculated annually and forms the basis for Scopus quartile assignment. Here is why this matters:

• Two journals can have similar raw citation counts but very different SJR scores, depending on which journals are citing them
• SJR is normalised by field size it accounts for the fact that some fields (like medicine) produce far more citations than others (like mathematics)
• Because of this normalisation, SJR is more useful for comparing journals across different fields than raw citation counts
• A journal's SJR score is publicly available you do not need a subscription to check it

 

SJR vs Impact Factor vs CiteScore Which One Determines Quartile?

This is where many researchers get confused because three different metrics are commonly used to assess journals, and each produces a different ranking. Here is exactly what each metric does and which one determines Scopus quartile:

 

Feature	SJR (SCImago)	Impact Factor (JCR)	CiteScore (Scopus)
Used for quartile ranking	Yes Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4 based on SJR	No IF has its own quartile (JIF quartile)	No CiteScore has its own percentile
Database	Scopus (Elsevier)	Web of Science (Clarivate)	Scopus (Elsevier)
Free to check	Yes scimago.com or RJR	No JCR requires subscription	Yes via Scopus or RJR
Update frequency	Annual	Annual (June each year)	Annual
Normalised by field	Yes accounts for field size	No raw citation count per paper	No raw cited documents count
Best for comparing journals	Yes cross-field comparison	Only within same field	Only within same field
India UGC recognition	Yes SJR quartile widely accepted	Yes IF accepted	Yes CiteScore accepted

 

Bottom line: Scopus quartile (Q1–Q4) is determined by SJR. Impact Factor is a completely separate metric from a completely separate database (Web of Science). A journal can be Q1 in Scopus by SJR but not have an official Impact Factor at all and it is still a Q1 journal for all Scopus-related purposes including UGC API scoring.

 

How to Check Any Journal's Quartile for Free Step by Step

You do not need a Scopus subscription, a library login, or any paid tool to check a journal's quartile. Here is the fastest free method using ResearchJournalRank:

 

Step	Action
1	Go to researchjournalrank.com/indexed/scopus the free Scopus journal browser with SJR and quartile data for all 33,000+ indexed journals
2	Type the journal name in the search box use the exact journal name or ISSN for the most accurate result
3	The journal's page shows: SJR score, quartile (Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4), subject category, CiteScore, H-Index, publisher, ISSN, and open access status
4	Check the quartile column this is the journal's ranking within its specific subject category, not across all journals globally
5	If you want to compare two journals, go to researchjournalrank.com/compare and enter both journals side by side
6	To confirm the quartile is current, cross-check at scimagojr.com search the journal by name and verify the SJR and quartile shown matches

 

Alternative free method: Go directly to scimagojr.com search the journal name, select the correct journal from results, and check the SJR and quartile shown for the most recent year available. SCImago is the official source for SJR data. ResearchJournalRank.com displays the same data alongside additional metrics like CiteScore and H-Index in one place.

 

Check your journal's quartile now: Browse Scopus Journals on ResearchJournalRank

 

Why the Same Journal Can Show Different Quartiles The Subject Category Explanation

One of the most common points of confusion: you check a journal's quartile on ResearchJournalRank and it shows Q1. A colleague checks the same journal and sees Q2. Both are correct because the journal is listed under multiple subject categories, and its quartile is different in each.

Here is why this happens:

• Many journals are indexed in Scopus under two, three, or even more subject categories simultaneously for example, a journal might be listed under both 'Environmental Engineering' and 'Environmental Chemistry'
• The journal is ranked separately within each subject category and because the SJR competition is different in each category, the quartile can be different
• A multidisciplinary journal might be Q1 in its primary field and Q2 or Q3 in secondary fields where it has less citation impact

 

Practical advice: When checking a journal's quartile for UGC, NAAC, or grant purposes, use the quartile for the subject category that is most relevant to your research field. If the journal is Q1 in any of its listed subject categories, that is the quartile most appropriately cited for your work.

 

7 Common Misconceptions About Scopus Quartiles Busted

Common Misconception	The Truth
A Q1 journal is Q1 in every subject	Quartile is subject-specific. A journal can be Q1 in 'Environmental Chemistry' but Q2 in 'General Chemistry'. Always check the quartile for your specific subject category, not the journal overall
Impact Factor determines the quartile	Scopus quartiles are based on SJR, not Impact Factor. IF is a separate metric from Web of Science. A journal can have a low IF but be Q1 in Scopus by SJR and vice versa
Q2 is not good enough for Indian academics	Q2 Scopus journals fully qualify for UGC API scoring, PhD completion requirements, NAAC accreditation, and most DST/ICMR grant applications. Q1 is better but Q2 is completely valid
A journal's quartile never changes	Quartiles are updated annually. A journal that was Q1 in 2023 may be Q2 in 2025 if its citation performance dropped relative to peers. Always check the current year's data
Higher Impact Factor = higher quartile	Not necessarily. A journal with IF 3.0 can be Q1 in a smaller sub-field where the average IF is 1.5. A journal with IF 8.0 can be Q2 in a large field where competitors average IF 15+
All Scopus journals have a quartile	Only journals with sufficient citation data receive a quartile ranking. Very new journals or those with minimal activity may be indexed in Scopus but show as unranked in SJR quartile
Q4 journals are predatory	Q4 simply means a journal is in the bottom 25% of its field by citation impact not that it is predatory. Many Q4 journals are legitimate, peer-reviewed publications. Always verify predatory status separately

 

Scopus Quartile and Indian Academic Requirements What Counts Where

For researchers at Indian universities, quartile ranking directly affects career advancement, institutional accreditation, and funding eligibility. Here is exactly what each quartile counts for across the main Indian academic evaluation frameworks:

 

Purpose	Q1 Journal	Q2 Journal	Q3 / Q4 Journal
UGC API Score (CAS/PBAS)	Counts highest points in research category	Counts same base points as Q1 in most schemes	Counts if Scopus-indexed fewer points in some schemes
PhD Completion Requirement	Fully accepted	Fully accepted equal to Q1 for most universities	Accepted if Scopus-indexed check university ordinance
NAAC Criterion III	Strong evidence of research quality	Good evidence fully counted in assessor scoring	Counted but carries less weight in quality assessment
DST / ICMR Grant Application	Strongest evidence of research impact	Solid evidence accepted in most grant formats	Weak evidence may be questioned by reviewers
International Collaboration	Most attractive to global collaborators	Widely accepted by international partners	Limited appeal to researchers at top-ranked institutions
Promotion to Associate/Full Prof	Required or strongly preferred at most institutions	Accepted qualifies for most promotion criteria	May be insufficient alone at research-intensive institutions

 

Important verification step: Before submitting to any journal for UGC or NAAC purposes, always confirm that: (1) the journal is currently active in the Scopus source list at researchjournalrank.com/indexed/scopus, and (2) the journal is not flagged as predatory at researchjournalrank.com/predatory-check. A journal that was Q2 when you submitted may have been delisted from Scopus by the time you claim it for API scoring.

 

How to Find Q1 and Q2 Journals in Your Field Free Tools

Knowing what quartile means is only useful if you can find the right journal for your specific paper. Here is the most effective approach:

1. Use the Journal Suggester at researchjournalrank.com/suggest paste your abstract and receive instant personalised journal recommendations matched to your topic and field, with quartile, SJR, CiteScore, and open access data shown for each recommendation
2. Browse Q1 journals directly at researchjournalrank.com/quartile/q1 filter by subject area to see all Q1 journals in your field
3. Use the Scopus journal browser at researchjournalrank.com/indexed/scopus filter by subject area and sort by SJR to find the top journals in your discipline
4. Compare your shortlisted journals at researchjournalrank.com/compare enter two or three candidates and see SJR, CiteScore, H-Index, quartile, and open access status side by side
5. Verify any journal at researchjournalrank.com/predatory-check before submitting confirms the journal is legitimate and not flagged as predatory

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Is Q1 the same as having a high Impact Factor?

Not necessarily. Scopus Q1 is determined by SJR score, which is a different metric from Impact Factor. Impact Factor is published by Clarivate for Web of Science journals. A journal can be Q1 in Scopus by SJR without having an official Impact Factor at all, and a journal with a high Impact Factor can be Q2 in Scopus if its SJR is in the second quartile of its subject category. For Scopus purposes, always use SJR to determine quartile not Impact Factor.

Q2: How often are Scopus quartiles updated?

Scopus quartiles are updated annually, typically using citation data from the previous year. This means a journal's quartile can change from year to year as citation patterns in its field shift. A journal that was Q1 three years ago may now be Q2 if faster-growing journals in the same field have overtaken it, or if the journal's own citation performance has declined. Always check the most recent year's quartile data before submitting, not data from previous years.

Q3: Can a journal be Q1 in one country and Q2 in another?

No quartile is a global metric, not country-specific. A journal's SJR quartile is the same worldwide. What can differ is how different countries' academic systems weight different quartiles for promotion, funding, and accreditation purposes. In India, UGC treats Q1 and Q2 Scopus journals as both qualifying for API scoring the quartile threshold for basic qualification is Scopus indexing itself, not the specific quartile. Some Indian institutions have adopted their own policies that weight Q1 higher than Q2, but this varies by institution.

Q4: How do I check the quartile of a journal that is not on ResearchJournalRank?

If a journal does not appear on ResearchJournalRank's Scopus browser, first check whether it is Scopus-indexed at all by searching on scopus.com/sources directly. If it is indexed but not showing on ResearchJournalRank, the database may not yet have updated to include it use scimagojr.com directly for the most comprehensive SJR and quartile data. If it does not appear on either platform, it is either not Scopus-indexed, too new to have a quartile ranking, or has been removed from Scopus.

Q5: Does a journal need to be Q1 for a PhD in India?

No most Indian universities require at least one Scopus-indexed or SCI-indexed publication for PhD completion, without specifying quartile. The requirement is Scopus or Web of Science indexing, not a minimum quartile. However, some institutions have adopted stricter policies requiring Q1 or Q2 specifically check your university's PhD ordinance directly. For career advancement beyond PhD (promotions, grants), Q1 or Q2 is strongly preferable.

Q6: Why does the quartile shown on different websites sometimes differ?

Quartile shown on different platforms can differ because: (1) they are using data from different years SCImago releases data annually and some sites are slower to update; (2) they are showing the quartile in different subject categories for the same journal; (3) some sites confuse Scopus SJR quartile with Web of Science Impact Factor quartile, which are completely different systems. The authoritative source for SJR quartile is scimagojr.com. ResearchJournalRank also displays current SJR quartile data from the same source.

Q7: If I publish in a Q2 journal now, can I say it is Q1 later if the journal moves up?

No the quartile that counts for your publication is the quartile the journal held at the time of publication. If a journal was Q2 when you published and later becomes Q1, you cannot retroactively claim it as a Q1 publication for API or NAAC purposes. Similarly, if a journal was Q1 when you published and later drops to Q2 or is removed from Scopus, your publication record reflects the status at the time of publication though delisting can affect how evaluators view the paper. Always document the journal's Scopus status and quartile at the time of your submission.

Q8: What is the fastest way to find a Q1 journal that fits my specific research topic?

The fastest method is the Journal Suggester at researchjournalrank.com/suggest paste your abstract and receive personalised journal recommendations in seconds, with each journal's quartile, SJR, CiteScore, H-Index, and open access status shown. You can filter results by quartile to see only Q1 or Q2 options. This removes the guesswork of manually scanning hundreds of journals and gives you a ranked list of the most relevant options for your specific research.

 

Conclusion

Scopus quartile Q1, Q2, Q3, or Q4 is one of the most important metrics in academic publishing for researchers in India and globally. It tells you where a journal stands relative to its peers in the same subject category, and it determines how much academic value your publication carries for UGC API scoring, NAAC accreditation, grant applications, and career advancement.

The key points to remember: quartile is always field-specific, it is based on SJR not Impact Factor, Q1 and Q2 both qualify for Indian academic requirements, and quartiles change annually. Always check the current quartile for your specific subject category before submitting and always verify the journal's Scopus indexing is still active.

Use the free tools on ResearchJournalRank.com to find, check, and compare journals by quartile all 33,000+ Scopus journals, completely free, no login required.

 

Browse Q1 journals: researchjournalrank.com/quartile/q1

Find your journal by abstract: researchjournalrank.com/suggest

Compare journals side by side: researchjournalrank.com/compare

Check Scopus indexing: researchjournalrank.com/indexed/scopus