What does Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 mean for academic journals?

Quartiles divide journals in a subject category into four equal groups based on their impact factor or SJR score. Q1 contains the top 25% (highest impact), Q2 the next 25%, Q3 the third quartile, and Q4 the bottom 25%.

Is a Q1 journal always better than a Q2 journal?

Q1 journals have higher impact factors within their subject category, but 'better' depends on your research scope, audience, and field norms. Some specialized Q2 journals are more appropriate venues than broad Q1 journals.

How are these rankings calculated?

Rankings are derived from the latest impact factor data for each journal in our database. When official quartile data is available we use it directly; otherwise quartiles are computed by ranking journals within the selected subject category.

Journal Rankings 2026 — Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4

Browse 400 ranked journals grouped into quartiles by impact factor. Use the subject filter below to narrow down by research field.

Data last refreshed: May 02, 2026

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Q1 — Top 25%

100 journals

Journal	IF
CA A Cancer Journal for Clinicians Wiley	226.20
The Lancet Elsevier BV	202.70
New England Journal of Medicine Massachusetts Medical Society	176.00
AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY Academic Journals	162.25
BMJ	105.70
BMJ	105.70
BMJ BMJ	105.70
BMJ	105.70
Nature Medicine Springer Nature	82.90
Journal of the Chemical Society Perkin Transactions 2 The Royal Society of Chemistry	82.00
Nature Nature Portfolio	69.50
Cell Elsevier	66.80
Journal of the Chemical Society Faraday Transactions 1 Phys… The Royal Society of Chemistry	66.00
Faraday Discussions of the Chemical Society The Royal Society of Chemistry	65.00
Nature Machine Intelligence Springer Nature	64.80
Nature Reviews Genetics Springer Nature	64.80
Nature Immunology Springer Nature	64.80
Nature Microbiology	64.80
Nature Reviews Drug Discovery Springer Nature	64.80
Nature Astronomy Springer Nature	64.80
Nature Protocols Springer Nature	64.80
Nature Materials Springer Nature	64.80
Nature Plants Springer Nature	64.80
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology Springer Nature	64.80
Nature Energy Springer Nature	64.80

Showing top 25 of 100

Q2 — 50th-75th Percentile

100 journals

Journal	IF
Cell Transplantation SAGE	64.50
Molecular Cell Elsevier	64.50
Molecular Biology of the Cell American Society for Cell Biology	64.50
Stem Cells International Wiley	64.50
Cancer Cell International Springer Nature	64.50
Cell Communication and Signaling Springer Nature	64.50
Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology Annual Reviews	64.50
Stem Cell Reports Elsevier	64.50
Plant and Cell Physiology Oxford University Press	64.50
Cell Systems Elsevier	64.50
Cell Cycle Informa	64.50
Science American Association for the Advancement of Science	63.70
Nature Geoscience Springer Nature	61.56
Nature Climate Change Springer Nature	61.56
Nature Reviews Chemistry Springer Nature	61.56
Journal of Veterinary Medical Science Japanese Society of Veterinary Science	56.90
Majmaah Journal of Health Sciences Majmaah University	56.90
Energy & Environmental Science The Royal Society of Chemistry	56.90
SN Computer Science Springer Nature	56.90
Pan-African Journal of Health and Environmental Science Adventist University of Africa	56.90
Logical Methods in Computer Science Logical Methods in Computer Science e.V.	56.90
Materials Science and Engineering A Elsevier BV	56.90
International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences Medip Academy	56.90
Springer Proceedings in Behavioral & Health Sciences. Springer Nature Singapore	56.90
Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences Associação dos Farmacêuticos do Vale do Aço	56.90

Showing top 25 of 100

Q3 — 25th-50th Percentile

100 journals

Journal	IF
Procedia Computer Science Elsevier BV	56.90
Journal of Universal Computer Science Graz University of Technology	56.90
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Cognitive Science Wiley	56.90
Quaternary Science Reviews Elsevier	56.90
Journal of Dairy Science Elsevier BV	56.90
Soil Science Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer)	56.90
International Journal of Atmospheric Sciences Hindawi Limited	56.90
Earth-Science Reviews Elsevier	56.90
The Science of The Total Environment Elsevier BV	56.90
Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences Jimma University	56.90
Earth Science, Systems and Society Geological Society of London	56.90
Indian Journal of Science and Technology Indian Society for Education and Environment	56.90
Journal of Evolution of Medical and Dental Sciences Akshantala Enterprises Private Limited	56.90
Surface Science Elsevier BV	56.90
Kufa Journal for Nursing Sciences University of Kufa, Faculty of Nursing	56.90
Journal of Membrane Science Elsevier	56.90
Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters Elsevier	56.90
Plant Science Elsevier	56.90
Social Science & Medicine Elsevier	56.90
Progress in Fishery Sciences Science Press, PR China	56.90
Corrosion Science Elsevier	56.90
Journal of Environmental Sciences Elsevier	56.90
International Journal of Environmental Science and Technolo… Springer Nature	56.90
Global Physical Education & Sports Sciences Review Humanity Only - HO	56.90
Atmospheric Science Letters Wiley	56.90

Showing top 25 of 100

Q4 — Bottom 25%

100 journals

Journal	IF
Applied Energy Elsevier BV	12.56
ACS Energy Letters American Chemical Society	12.45
Current Climate Change Reports Springer Nature	12.33
Energy storage materials Elsevier BV	12.33
Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews Elsevier BV	12.22
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services Elsevier BV	12.08
Cement and Concrete Composites Elsevier BV	11.93
ACM Transactions on Intelligent Systems and Technology Association for Computing Machinery	11.81
Neuron Cell Press	11.68
Kidney International Elsevier BV	11.65
Sustainable Cities and Society Elsevier BV	11.26
Journal of Cleaner Production Elsevier BV	11.13
Journal of Nanobiotechnology BioMed Central	11.11
PNAS Nexus Oxford University Press	11.10
Catalysis Communications Elsevier BV	10.94
Materials Today Elsevier BV	10.88
TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry Elsevier	10.77
ACS Catalysis	10.77
Water Research Elsevier BV	10.73
Food Hydrocolloids Elsevier BV	10.72
The Journal of Finance Wiley	10.72
Energy Economics Elsevier BV	10.69
Diabetes Care American Diabetes Association	10.67
Computers & Education Elsevier BV	10.43
Cement and Concrete Research Elsevier BV	10.42

Showing top 25 of 100

Understanding Journal Quartile Rankings

Quartile rankings (Q1-Q4) are a standard way to categorize academic journals within a subject. They're calculated by ordering all journals in a category by their impact factor (or SJR score) and dividing them into four equal groups.

Q1 — Top 25%, highest impact in the field
Q2 — 50th to 75th percentile
Q3 — 25th to 50th percentile
Q4 — Bottom 25%

Note: When official Scopus/JCR quartile data is available we use it. Otherwise quartiles are approximated by ranking journals within the selected subject by their latest impact factor.

Journal Rankings 2026 — Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4

Filter by Subject

Q1 — Top 25%

Q2 — 50th-75th Percentile

Q3 — 25th-50th Percentile

Q4 — Bottom 25%

Understanding Journal Quartile Rankings

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