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

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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%

10 journals

Journal	IF
Earth and Planetary Science Letters Elsevier	56.90
Earth-Science Reviews Elsevier	56.90
Science Bulletin Elsevier BV	7.52
CATENA Elsevier BV	4.66
Marine and Petroleum Geology Elsevier BV	4.37
AGU Advances Wiley	3.83
Biogeosciences Copernicus Publications	3.54
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta Elsevier BV	3.18
Global and Planetary Change Elsevier BV	2.92
Chemical Geology Elsevier BV	2.69

Q2 — 50th-75th Percentile

9 journals

Journal	IF
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology Springer Science+Business Media	2.64
Geomorphology Elsevier BV	2.55
Climate of the past	2.55
Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Wiley	2.50
Icarus Elsevier BV	2.47
Tectonics Wiley	2.37
Sedimentary Geology Elsevier BV	2.25
Bulletin of Volcanology Springer Science+Business Media	2.18
Marine Geology Elsevier BV	2.04

Q3 — 25th-50th Percentile

10 journals

Journal	IF
Journal of Archaeological Science Elsevier BV	2.00
Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology Elsevier BV	1.98
Meteoritics and Planetary Science Wiley	1.93
Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research Elsevier BV	1.92
Deep Sea Research Part I Oceanographic Research Papers Elsevier BV	1.89
Sedimentology Wiley	1.88
Organic Geochemistry Elsevier BV	1.88
Frontiers in Earth Science Frontiers Media	1.84
Geobios Elsevier BV	1.67
Geological Journal Wiley	1.59

Q4 — Bottom 25%

9 journals

Journal	IF
Tectonophysics Elsevier BV	1.56
Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France EDP Sciences	1.44
Quaternary International Elsevier BV	1.36
Cretaceous Research Elsevier BV	1.33
Geographical Journal Wiley	1.32
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology Elsevier BV	1.30
Proceedings of the Geologists Association Elsevier BV	1.21
Climate Change Discovery Scientific Society	0.12
Eos Wiley	0.07

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.