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 42 ranked journals grouped into quartiles by citation rate. Use the subject filter below to narrow down by research field.

Data last refreshed: Jul 30, 2026

Filter by Subject

All Subjects Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies Medicine Human auditory perception and evaluation Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth Social Sciences Advanced Statistical Methods and Models Economic Theory and Policy Economic theories and models Environmental Science Social sciences (General) Corporate Finance and Governance Education (General) Monetary Policy and Economic Impact Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Medicine (General) Statistical Methods and Inference Electronic computers. Computer science Global Maternal and Child Health Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life Health disparities and outcomes Innovation and Knowledge Management Statistical Methods and Bayesian Inference Business Digital Marketing and Social Media Energy, Environment, Economic Growth Law Plant and animal studies Bayesian Methods and Mixture Models Education Market Dynamics and Volatility

Q1 — Top 25%

11 journals

Journal	IF
American Political Science Review Cambridge University Press	56.90
Pharmacology & Therapeutics Elsevier BV	10.38
Business Horizons Elsevier BV	8.87
Computers in Industry Elsevier BV	8.46
Trends in Microbiology Elsevier BV	6.50
International Journal of Coal Geology Elsevier BV	4.65
Long Range Planning Elsevier BV	4.55
Futures Elsevier BV	3.62
International Organization University of Cambridge	3.08
Artificial Intelligence Elsevier BV	3.06
Experimental and Molecular Pathology Elsevier BV	2.85

Q2 — 50th-75th Percentile

10 journals

Journal	IF
The Journal of Academic Librarianship Elsevier BV	2.71
Journal of Proteomics Elsevier BV	2.37
World Patent Information Elsevier BV	2.36
Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Muta… Elsevier BV	2.26
The Sociological Review SAGE Publishing	2.23
Biosystems Elsevier BV	2.10
The Journal of Economic History Cambridge University Press	2.10
Prostaglandins Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids Elsevier BV	1.92
Heart & Lung Elsevier BV	1.69
Microvascular Research Elsevier BV	1.62

Q3 — 25th-50th Percentile

11 journals

Journal	IF
Women s Studies International Forum Elsevier BV	1.61
Journal of Social Policy Cambridge University Press	1.56
Sociology SAGE Publishing	1.49
Transfusion Medicine and Hemotherapy Karger Publishers	1.43
Foreign Language Annals Wiley	1.29
Wiener klinische Wochenschrift Springer Science+Business Media	1.24
Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik Gustav Fischer Verlag	1.23
The American Statistician Taylor & Francis	1.16
Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine Springer Nature	0.96
Information and Computation Elsevier BV	0.81
Survival Taylor & Francis	0.78

Q4 — Bottom 25%

10 journals

Journal	IF
The China Quarterly Cambridge University Press	0.68
Journal of the American Pharmacists Association Elsevier BV	0.67
The Business History Review Cambridge University Press	0.19
Trusts & Trustees Oxford University Press	0.09
Al-Adab Journal	0.02
BMJ	—
BMJ	—
Recherches économiques de Louvain	—
Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information (Royal Gardens Kew)	—
Mutation Research/Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of M… Elsevier BV	—

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.