SJR

SJR, short for SCImago Journal Rank, is a metric used to assess and compare the influence of scholarly journals. It is produced by SCImago Lab and is based on data from the Scopus database. The indicator assigns to each journal a numerical score that reflects its prestige within the global citation network.

Calculation and features: SJR uses a network-based weighting of citations, where citations from higher‑prestige journals contribute more to a journal’s score. Citations received in a given year are weighted and summed for articles published in the journal during the previous three years. This total is divided by the number of citable documents published in those years, yielding a per‑article score. The metric is normalized to allow comparisons across subject areas and journals of different sizes.

Interpretation and use: SJR is commonly used in research evaluation, funding decisions, and library acquisitions, and it provides rankings by subject area as well as a global ranking. It is intended to complement other indicators such as Impact Factor or CiteScore, and it does not measure the quality of individual articles or authors.

Limitations: SJR depends on Scopus coverage and the selection of citation sources, which may bias results in certain fields. It also reflects disciplinary differences in citation behavior and can be affected by publication lag. For balanced assessment, users should consider multiple indicators alongside SJR.