Journals promote a variety of numbers — impact factor, CiteScore, SJR, h5-index — and they do not all measure the same thing. A “high impact factor, Google Scholar indexed journal” could be citing a metric computed from Google Scholar data instead of the Clarivate Journal Impact Factor. Neither is dishonest when clearly labelled; trouble starts when they are mixed up. Here is how to interpret each number.
Key Journal Metrics
| Metric | Calculated by | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Journal Impact Factor (JIF) | Clarivate (Journal Citation Reports) | Citations in Web of Science over a two-year window |
| CiteScore | Elsevier (Scopus) | Citations in Scopus over a four-year window |
| SJR | SCImago | Scopus data weighted by the prestige of the citing journal |
| h5-index / h5-median | Google Scholar Metrics | Citations in Google Scholar across five years |
| Impact factor based on Google Scholar | The journal itself or an outside party | Citation data from Google Scholar |
Reasons Numbers Vary So Much
Google Scholar counts citations from a far broader set of documents than Web of Science or Scopus does, including theses, preprints, conference papers and reports. So metrics derived from Google Scholar data tend to be higher than a Clarivate JIF for the same journal. A figure means something only when you know how it was calculated and from which data. Always note which source a quoted number came from.
How to Interpret a Journal’s Metric Claim
- Which metric is meant — JIF, CiteScore, SJR, h5-index or another?
- Who computed it, and using which data?
- For which year?
- Is it possible to verify it at its source?
- Is the comparison with journals in the same field?
How Honest Labelling Appears
A journal that is honest names both the metric and where it comes from. JMVRA, for instance, says its impact factor of 11.25 is calculated by Google Scholar and does not pass it off as a Clarivate JIF. That lets you weigh it properly.
How Far Should Metrics Count for You?
- Where your institution demands a JIF or Scopus quartile, that metric alone counts.
- A metric describes average citations to a journal, not how good your own paper is.
- For a given paper, fit, real review and visibility frequently count for more.
How the Journal Impact Factor Is Worked Out
The JIF for 2025 equals the citations received in 2025 by items published in 2023 and 2024, divided by the count of citable items (articles and reviews) published in those two years. Its fixed citation window is one thing that sets it apart from other metrics.
| Example | Value |
|---|---|
| Citations in 2025 to items from 2023–24 | 1,200 |
| Citable items published in 2023–24 | 400 |
| JIF (2025) | 3.0 |
Other metrics rely on different windows and data, which explains why one journal may show widely different numbers.
The 10 Most-Searched Questions on This Topic
Here are the ten questions researchers search for most on this subject, each with a direct answer.
high impact factor Google Scholar indexed journal
A journal that cites a high metric and can be seen in Google Scholar — find out which metric it is.
impact factor vs h-index
Impact factor gauges average recent citations per article, while h-index counts papers that are cited steadily.
Google Scholar impact factor meaning
A metric computed from Google Scholar citation data rather than the Clarivate JIF.
h5-index meaning
The highest h for which h articles from the past five years each have at least h citations.
CiteScore meaning
The Scopus metric: citations across four years divided by the documents of those years.
SJR meaning
SCImago’s citation metric, weighted by prestige and drawn from Scopus.
how to verify journal impact factor
Look up JIF in JCR, CiteScore in Scopus and SJR at SCImago.
why Google Scholar metrics are higher
Scholar includes more kinds of documents and sources.
fake impact factor websites
Services that issue unrecognised “impact factors”, frequently for payment.
JMVRA impact factor 11.25
Google Scholar calculated it, and JMVRA labels it that way.
How JMVRA Fits In
JMVRA is a Transparent, Peer-Reviewed, Open Access Journal (Refereed Journal). Following the discontinuation of the UGC and UGC-CARE journal listing, and in alignment with the latest UGC-CARE recommendations and guidelines, JMVRA is aligned with UGC’s Suggested Parameters for Choosing Peer-Reviewed Journals. UGC public notice (PDF)
The impact factor of 11.25 for JMVRA is calculated by Google Scholar and presented that way. JMVRA holds no Clarivate Journal Impact Factor and makes no claim to one.
- ISSN
- 2984-8911 (online) · publishing since June 2023
- Issues
- Monthly issues across many disciplines
- Review
- Two-way anonymous review by specialists
- Access
- Free to read, CC BY 4.0 licence
- Fee
- ₹971 INR for Indian and $41 USD for foreign authors, due only after acceptance
- DOI
- Crossref — available as an optional extra
- Indexing
- Included in Google Scholar and not included in Scopus, Web of Science or DOAJ
- Impact factor
- 11.25, derived from Google Scholar data
Screening begins the moment a paper arrives and each decision is sent as soon as it is reached, yet JMVRA never promises a set number of days: actual review time depends on the reviewers and on how much revision the paper needs.
At-a-Glance Checklist
- Metric namedJIF, CiteScore, SJR or a figure drawn from Scholar
- Source checkedClarivate, Scopus or Google Scholar consulted
- Window statedThe years included
- Like with likeIdentical metric, identical field
- Not oversoldThe 11.25 for JMVRA rests on Google Scholar and is not a Clarivate JIF
Why Metrics Vary Across Fields
Citation habits
Biomedicine has more and quicker citing than mathematics.
Database coverage
In some fields, more work appears in books or local languages.
Article types
Review articles draw more citations than original research.
Field-normalised metrics
SJR and SNIP correct for some of these differences.
Author-Level Metrics
| Metric | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Total citations | Total citations to your papers |
| h-index | h papers, each cited h or more times |
| i10-index | Papers cited at least 10 times (Google Scholar) |
| Field-weighted impact | Citations measured against similar papers |
Practical Tips for Comparing Journal Metrics Fairly
Different metrics measure different things, and comparing them carelessly leads to poor choices. Use these principles when you read any number attached to a journal.
- Ask who produced the figure. Find the organisation that calculated a metric and the method it used. A figure without a named source and explanation should not influence your decision.
- Compare within the same subject. Citation habits vary widely between disciplines, so a modest value in one field may be strong in another. Compare journals only with close neighbours in your area.
- Check the period measured. Metrics describe a particular window of citations. Make sure you are comparing figures covering the same kind of period, or the comparison will mislead you.
- Read the papers, not just the score. Sample several recent articles for rigour, clarity and relevance to your topic. Content quality tells you more about fit than a headline measure ever will.
- Separate journal and author measures. A journal measure describes the venue, not your individual paper. Keep personal citation records and narrative impact evidence for your own evaluations.
Know the source and method behind each metric, compare like with like and let article quality guide your final choice.
Questions Researchers Often Ask
Overview of JMVRA Citation Metrics
Only at the journal-level does an impact factor make sense; an h-index may describe a journal or an author. Readings were made on 30 Sep 2026 from the journal’s Google Scholar profile, which you can open to verify.
Ready to Publish? Submit to JMVRA
JMVRA is aligned with UGC's Suggested Parameters for Choosing Peer-Reviewed Journals.
JMVRA is a Transparent, Peer-Reviewed, Open Access Journal (Refereed Journal). Following the discontinuation of the UGC and UGC-CARE journal listing, and in alignment with the latest UGC-CARE recommendations and guidelines, JMVRA is aligned with UGC’s Suggested Parameters for Choosing Peer-Reviewed Journals.
Pages worth visiting on jmvra.org
Key Terms
Subjects and search phrases this article addresses.
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Further reading on the same theme from the JMVRA blog.
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Read the guideKeep Reading on the JMVRA Blog
As part of the JMVRA journal blog, this guide shares practical help on publishing, indexing, metrics and research integrity, and is written to be verifiable rather than promotional.