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 26 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

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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%

7 journals

Journal	IF
American Economic Review American Economic Association	12.91
Journal of Political Economy University of Chicago Press	5.42
Journal of Environmental Economics and Management Elsevier	4.39
World Development Elsevier BV	4.22
The Review of Economics and Statistics The MIT Press	3.92
The Economic Journal Oxford University Press	3.65
Economic Modelling Elsevier BV	3.35

Q2 — 50th-75th Percentile

6 journals

Journal	IF
Journal of Public Economics Elsevier BV	3.24
Journal of Development Economics Elsevier BV	3.04
Public Administration Review Wiley	2.91
Environmental and Resource Economics Springer Nature	2.82
European Economic Review Elsevier BV	2.66
Economica Wiley	2.32

Q3 — 25th-50th Percentile

7 journals

Journal	IF
World Economy Wiley	2.27
Applied Economics Taylor & Francis	1.92
Economics Letters Elsevier BV	1.88
Public Choice Springer Science+Business Media	1.68
Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control Elsevier BV	1.65
American Journal of Economics and Sociology Wiley	1.62
Journal of Policy Analysis and Management Wiley	1.34

Q4 — Bottom 25%

6 journals

Journal	IF
National Tax Journal University of Chicago Press	1.21
Applied Economics Letters Taylor & Francis	1.06
Climate Change Economics World Scientific	1.02
Economic Development and Cultural Change University of Chicago Press	0.90
Southern Economic Journal Wiley	0.90
Economic Record Wiley	0.29

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.