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

Quartiles divide journals in a subject category into four equal groups based on their citation rate 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 citation rates 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 citation rate 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 38 ranked journals grouped into quartiles by citation rate. Use the subject filter below to narrow down by research field.

Data last refreshed: Sep 21, 2026

Filter by Subject

All Subjects Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies Human auditory perception and evaluation Plant and animal studies Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques Geology and Paleoclimatology Research Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies Climate variability and models RNA modifications and cancer earthquake and tectonic studies Geological and Geochemical Analysis Immune Cell Function and Interaction Medicine Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Cancer-related molecular mechanisms research Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Conducting polymers and applications Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies Analytical Chemistry and Chromatography RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms Advancements in Battery Materials Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment MicroRNA in disease regulation Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet Catalytic Processes in Materials Science Diabetes, Cardiovascular Risks, and Lipoproteins Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth Meat and Animal Product Quality Neural dynamics and brain function Species Distribution and Climate Change

Q1 — Top 25%

10 journals

Journal	IF
Applied Surface Science Elsevier BV	56.90
Environmental Chemistry Letters Springer Nature	21.84
Applied Catalysis B: Environmental Elsevier	13.21
Catalysis Communications Elsevier BV	10.94
Chemical Engineering Journal Elsevier BV	10.01
Rare Metals Springer Science+Business Media	9.82
Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers Elsevier BV	6.57
Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Elsevier BV	6.56
Journal of Nanomaterials Hindawi Publishing Corporation	6.22
Journal of Water Process Engineering Elsevier BV	6.21

Q2 — 50th-75th Percentile

9 journals

Journal	IF
Nano Research Springer Science+Business Media	5.96
Journal of Inorganic and Organometallic Polymers and Materi… Springer Science+Business Media	5.73
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering American Chemical Society	5.44
Nanoscale Advances Royal Society of Chemistry	5.37
Frontiers in Chemistry Frontiers Media	5.34
Materials Research Bulletin Elsevier BV	5.26
Inorganic Chemistry Communications Elsevier BV	5.17
Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing Elsevier BV	5.09
ACS Applied Nano Materials American Chemical Society	5.08

Q3 — 25th-50th Percentile

10 journals

Journal	IF
Colloids and Surfaces A Physicochemical and Engineering Asp… Elsevier BV	5.06
Materials Advances Royal Society of Chemistry	5.04
Nanomaterials Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute	4.97
Arabian Journal of Chemistry Elsevier BV	4.77
Catalysis Today Elsevier BV	4.76
ChemSusChem Wiley	4.65
ACS Omega American Chemical Society	4.08
Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology Springer Science+Business Media	4.02
Catalysts Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute	3.98
Surfaces and Interfaces Elsevier BV	3.70

Q4 — Bottom 25%

9 journals

Journal	IF
Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A Chemistry Elsevier BV	3.51
ChemCatChem Wiley	3.45
Journal of Nanoparticle Research Springer Science+Business Media	3.26
Solid State Sciences Elsevier BV	3.01
Molecular Catalysis Elsevier BV	2.64
Chemistry - An Asian Journal Wiley	2.60
Research on Chemical Intermediates Springer Science+Business Media	2.52
ChemistrySelect Wiley	1.94
SN Applied Sciences Springer Nature	—

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 citation rate (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 citation rate.