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RESEARCH GUIDES

Bibliometrics and Altmetrics: Measuring the Impact of Knowledge

This guide includes information on which of the databases contain citation measures that can be used to gage either an author, article or journal impact.

DEFINITION: SCImago Journal Rank (SJR)

SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) is a portal that includes the journals and country scientific indicators developed from the information contained in the Scopus database (Elsevier). It is also a prestige metric based on the idea that "all citations are not created equal." With SJR, the subject field, quality and reputation of the journal has a direct effect on the value of a citation. Using the Google Page Rank algorithm, it was developed by a research group from the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), University of Granada, Extremadura, Carlos III (Madrid) and Alcalá de Henares.

SJR...

  • Is weighted by the prestige of the journal, thereby ‘leveling the playing field’ among journals
  • Eliminates manipulation: raise the SJR ranking by being published in more reputable journals
  • ‘Shares’ a journal’s prestige equally over the total number of citations in that journal
  • Normalizes for differences in citation behavior between subject fields

Access:

Further Reading:

Gonzalez-Pereira, B., Guerrero-Bote, V. & Moya-Anegon, F. (2009). The SJR indicator: A new indicator of journals' scientific prestige

Map Generator for Subject Citation Relationship

With the SJR tool, you can create maps or bubble charts based on a subject citation relationship for a particular country. Below is a map generated for the United States.

Example of a SCImago Journal & Country Rank (SJR) Search

To compare journals in a specific subject field, follow the steps:

          1. Go to SCImago Journal & Country Rank web site.

          2. Click on the Journals link under Rank image.


          3. Make your selections from the drop down menus. 

          4. Click the Refresh button to generate a report comparing journal rankings.

You can generate similar reports for comparing different countries: