What is SJR (SCImago Journal Rank)? A Complete Guide
What is SJR?
The SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) is a measure of the scientific influence of scholarly journals that accounts for both the number of citations received by a journal and the importance or prestige of the journals where the citations come from.
How is SJR Calculated?
Unlike simple citation counts, SJR uses an algorithm similar to Google's PageRank. A citation from a high-prestige journal is worth more than a citation from a low-prestige journal.
- Total citations received by a journal in a 3-year window
- Prestige of citing journals — citations from top journals carry more weight
- Self-citations are limited to avoid gaming the system
SJR vs Impact Factor
The traditional Impact Factor (IF) simply counts citations divided by articles. SJR is considered more robust because it accounts for citation prestige, is normalized across subject areas, and is free and transparent.
How to Read SJR Values
- SJR > 10: Extremely high prestige (Nature, Science, Cell)
- SJR 1-10: High-quality Q1 journals
- SJR 0.3-1: Good Q2/Q3 journals
- SJR < 0.3: Q3/Q4 journals
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