What Web of Science Is, and Which of Its Indexes Give a Journal a Quartile
Web of Science is a citation database maintained by Clarivate. Its Core Collection is made up of several indexes, and the one a journal sits in determines what metrics it receives. Understanding a Web of Science quartile starts here, because a journal can be "in Web of Science" and still rank differently from what its website suggests.
Science Citation Index Expanded
Science, technology and medicine journals. The oldest and largest of the flagship indexes; its journals have carried Journal Impact Factors for decades.
Social Sciences Citation Index
Social science journals, also with long-standing Impact Factors and category rankings.
Arts and Humanities Citation Index
Arts and humanities journals. Received Journal Impact Factors for the first time in the 2023 JCR release.
Emerging Sources Citation Index
Journals that meet Clarivate's quality criteria but not yet its impact criteria; the entry point for most newer titles. ESCI journals received their first JIF in the 2023 release and were brought into the unified category rankings from the 2024 release.
Two practical consequences. First, "Web of Science indexed" on its own does not tell you the index; ask which. Second, since the 2024 Journal Citation Reports, ESCI journals are ranked alongside SCIE and SSCI titles in unified category lists, so a newer ESCI journal can hold a quartile. Check the JCR edition you are looking at, because older editions ranked only SCIE and SSCI.
The Journal Impact Factor: Formula, Worked Example and What It Leaves Out
Quartiles in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) are built on the Journal Impact Factor (JIF). The JIF for year Y is the number of citations received in year Y by items the journal published in years Y-1 and Y-2, divided by the number of citable items (articles and reviews) it published in those two years. Clarivate releases the JCR each June for the previous calendar year, and since the 2023 release the JIF is shown to one decimal place.
Worked example (illustrative)
| Year | Citable items published | Citations received in year Y |
|---|---|---|
| Y-2 | 140 | 520 |
| Y-1 | 160 | 380 |
| Total | 300 | 900 |
900 divided by 300 gives a JIF of 3.0. Three things the number leaves out: it says nothing about any single paper (a few highly cited reviews can carry a journal); it is field-dependent (a JIF of 3.0 is modest in molecular biology and excellent in mathematics); and it is two years deep, which favours fast-moving fields. That field dependence is the reason quartiles exist: they compare a journal only with others in its own category.
How JCR Turns a Rank into a Quartile: The Z Value and the Four Bands
Within each JCR subject category, journals are sorted by JIF from highest to lowest. Each journal's rank is divided by the number of journals in the category to give a value Clarivate calls Z. The quartile is read off Z.
| Quartile | Z value | Position in category | Example: category of 200 journals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 0 < Z ≤ 0.25 | Top 25 percent | Ranks 1 to 50 |
| Q2 | 0.25 < Z ≤ 0.50 | Next 25 percent | Ranks 51 to 100 |
| Q3 | 0.50 < Z ≤ 0.75 | Next 25 percent | Ranks 101 to 150 |
| Q4 | 0.75 < Z ≤ 1.00 | Bottom 25 percent | Ranks 151 to 200 |
Three details that change the answer
- Category: a journal assigned to two or three categories receives a separate rank and quartile in each. "Q1" without a category name is incomplete.
- Edition: quartiles are recalculated every June. Most Indian university rules refer to the quartile in the year of publication or submission; confirm which.
- Metric: JCR also publishes quartiles by Journal Citation Indicator (JCI). A journal's JIF quartile and JCI quartile can differ. Say which one you mean.
What Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 Actually Mean for a Journal and a Paper
A quartile is a relative position inside one category in one year. It is not a grade of the journal's integrity, and it is not a property of your paper. The descriptions below are typical tendencies, not rules; acceptance rates in particular vary enormously by field and by title.
Top quarter of the category
The most-cited journals in the field. Usually highly selective, often several review rounds, global readership. Also the quartile most often faked on journal websites.
Second quarter
Strong, well-established journals. Many excellent specialist titles sit here because their fields cite less than the category's broad journals.
Third quarter
Fully indexed journals with moderate citation rates. Often regional, newer or narrow-scope titles; legitimate venues that meet Clarivate's quality criteria.
Bottom quarter
Still in Web of Science, still peer reviewed, still evaluated. Lower citation rate relative to the category, which can reflect a small field, a new journal or a non-English readership rather than low quality.
Half of all journals in every category are Q3 or Q4 by definition. A quartile tells you where a journal's citations sit among its peers; it does not tell you whether your paper is good, or whether the journal is honest.
Beyond the Impact Factor: 5-Year JIF, JCI, Eigenfactor and Immediacy Index
The JCR publishes several metrics for each journal, and institutions increasingly refer to more than one. Knowing what each measures prevents comparing a JIF with a JCI as if they were the same number.
| Metric | What it measures | Window | Use it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Journal Impact Factor (JIF) | Citations per citable item | 2 years | Your rule names the JIF or a JIF quartile |
| 5-Year JIF | Same fraction over five years | 5 years | Slow-citing fields: humanities, mathematics, social sciences |
| JIF without journal self-citations | JIF excluding citations from the journal to itself | 2 years | Checking whether a JIF is inflated by self-citation |
| Journal Citation Indicator (JCI) | Category-normalised citation impact; 1.0 is the category average | 3 years | Comparing journals across different fields |
| Immediacy Index | Citations in the year of publication per item published that year | Same year | Fast-moving fields where speed of uptake matters |
| Eigenfactor and Article Influence | Network-based influence weighting citing journals, similar in spirit to SJR | 5 years | Assessing overall influence rather than per-article citations |
The JCI deserves attention from Indian authors because it is available for every journal in the Core Collection, including ESCI, and because it is normalised by category: a JCI of 1.2 means the journal's papers are cited 20 percent more than the average for their category and year. Our guide on what the impact factor is and how it is calculated goes deeper into the JIF itself.
Seven Myths About Journal Quartiles
Myth
- "A Q1 journal is one of the best journals in the world."
- "A Q4 journal is a bad or predatory journal."
- "Once Q1, always Q1."
- "A paper in a Q1 journal is a Q1 paper."
- "Scopus Q1 and Web of Science Q1 are the same thing."
- "The impact factor on the journal's website is its JCR Impact Factor."
- "ESCI journals have no quartile."
Reality
- It is in the top quarter of one JCR category, not of all journals.
- Q4 journals passed Clarivate's quality evaluation; predatory journals are not in Web of Science at all.
- Quartiles are recalculated every June and journals move between bands.
- Quartiles describe journals; citations to your paper are what describe your paper.
- Scopus quartiles use CiteScore percentiles in Scopus categories; JCR quartiles use JIF rank in JCR categories; the two frequently differ.
- Only Clarivate publishes the JIF. Any other figure is a different metric and must say so.
- Since the 2024 JCR release, ESCI journals are included in unified category rankings and can hold a quartile.
How to Check a Journal's Web of Science Status and Quartile, Free
Coverage is free to check; the quartile itself lives in the JCR, which is a subscription product most Indian universities access through their library. Here is the sequence that works without paying for anything.
- Step 1: Master Journal List
Go to mjl.clarivate.com and search by ISSN. The free result shows whether the journal is in the Core Collection and in which index (SCIE, SSCI, AHCI or ESCI), its publisher and its categories. No record means the journal is not in Web of Science, whatever its website says.
- Step 2: Match the details
Compare the publisher and the journal URL on the record with the site you are on. A match with a different website points to a hijacked journal.
- Step 3: JCR through your library
With institutional access, open the journal's JCR profile: JIF, JCI, rank in each category and quartile by year. Read the quartile for the category and year your rule specifies.
- Step 4: No library access?
Many journals publish their JCR rank and quartile on their own site with the year; treat that as a claim and ask the library or a colleague with access to confirm. Clarivate's public journal profile pages on the Master Journal List also show a summary for some titles.
- Step 5: Record it
Save a dated screenshot or PDF of the Master Journal List record and the JCR entry. Quartiles change; your evidence should show the status when you submitted.
Web of Science Quartiles vs Scopus Quartiles: Why the Same Journal Gets Two Answers
Indian regulations often say "Scopus or Web of Science", so authors meet both quartile systems. They are produced by different companies from different databases, using different metrics and different category schemes. A journal can be Q1 in one and Q2 or Q3 in the other.
| Aspect | Web of Science (JCR) | Scopus |
|---|---|---|
| Producer | Clarivate | Elsevier (CiteScore quartiles); SCImago (SJR quartiles) |
| Metric behind the quartile | Journal Impact Factor (also JCI quartiles) | CiteScore percentile; SJR for SCImago |
| Citation window | 2 years (JIF) | 4 years (CiteScore), 3 years (SJR) |
| Category scheme | JCR subject categories | All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes |
| Coverage | Core Collection: SCIE, SSCI, AHCI, ESCI | Larger source list, including many titles not in Web of Science |
| Free check | Coverage on mjl.clarivate.com; quartile needs JCR access | Coverage, CiteScore and percentile free on scopus.com/sources |
| Release | Annually in June | CiteScore annually, with a monthly tracker |
When a rule says "Q1 or Q2 journal", ask which system the committee uses before you choose a target. Our guide on Scopus vs Web of Science compares the databases in full, and the companion page on Scopus-indexed journals and CiteScore, SJR and SNIP explains the Scopus side.
Using Quartiles Sensibly as an Author
Quartiles are a useful shortlist tool and a poor sole criterion. The sequence that serves authors best is requirement first, fit second, quartile third.
- Read your institution's rule and note the exact words: index, metric, quartile, year, and whether Scopus and Web of Science are treated alike.
- Shortlist journals whose scope genuinely fits the paper; a Q1 journal in the wrong category is a fast rejection.
- Check coverage on the Master Journal List by ISSN, then the quartile in the JCR for the right category and year.
- Read two recent issues to confirm the journal publishes work like yours at your methodological level.
- Expect multiple revision rounds at higher-quartile journals and plan the calendar accordingly; a first decision can take months.
- Check the fee and licence; many Web of Science journals are subscription-based with no author fee, while open-access options may carry an article processing charge far above low-cost journals.
- Never pay anyone who offers to "get your paper into a Q1 journal"; that service does not exist honestly.
When a Quartile Is Not What You Need: Honest Options and Our Network
Many requirements in India do not ask for a Web of Science quartile at all. Since UGC discontinued the UGC-CARE list (decision of 3 October 2024, public notice of 11 February 2025) and approved its Suggestive Parameters for choosing peer-reviewed journals in 2025, a large share of PhD and faculty rules refer to peer-reviewed journals that meet those parameters. For work that needs to be published, cited and found now, a verifiable peer-reviewed open-access journal with a Crossref DOI is often the right venue, and it can be the first step toward later papers in indexed journals.
The three journals in the Journey & Wisdom network are not in Web of Science and hold no JCR quartile; this page claims none. They are low-cost, peer-reviewed, open-access venues with verifiable ISSNs, published fees payable only after acceptance, and Crossref DOIs on prefix 10.56975. JMVRA's 11.25 is a calculated metric based on citations from Google Scholar and Semantic Scholar. It is not an official Clarivate Journal Impact Factor (JCR). Verify them as you would any journal.
Journal of Modern and Versatile Research Approach (JMVRA)
- ISSN 2984-8911 Verify ISSN
- ESTD 2023 · Publisher JMVRA Publication · Website jmvra.org
- Impact Factor 11.25* · Crossref DOI prefix 10.56975
- Publication fee ₹971 Indian authors · US$41 international — payable only after acceptance
- Aligned with UGC’s Suggested Parameters for Choosing Peer-Reviewed Journals
TIJER – International Research Journal
- ISSN 2349-9249 Verify ISSN · ESTD 2014 · Website tijer.org
- Publication fee Low cost ₹970 INR Indian · $50 USD international
- UGC CARE Approved, Transparent Peer-Reviewed (Refereed) Journal as per new UGC Notification
- Multidisciplinary · Monthly · Crossref DOI · Indexing in all major databases & metadata
Journal of Novel Research and Innovative Development (JNRID)
- ISSN 2984-8687 Verify ISSN · ESTD 2023 · Website jnrid.org
- Publication fee Low cost ₹970 INR Indian · $50 USD international
- UGC CARE Approved, Transparent Peer-Reviewed (Refereed) Journal as per new UGC Notification
- Multidisciplinary · Monthly · Crossref DOI · Indexing in all major databases & metadata
* JMVRA’s 11.25 is a calculated metric based on citations from Google Scholar and Semantic Scholar. It is not an official Clarivate Journal Impact Factor (JCR). TIJER and JNRID details are as stated by their publisher. Full comparison: Our Journals.
If your requirement names a quartile, use the check above and target a journal that meets it. If it names peer review, a DOI or UGC's parameters, the network journals are built to satisfy that honestly, with the facts on the cards and links to verify them.
For Journal Owners: The Realistic Path to Web of Science and a First Quartile
A journal enters Web of Science through Clarivate's editorial evaluation, not through any service. The evaluation applies quality criteria (ISSN, English bibliographic information, peer review, ethics statements, editorial board details, regular publication, content relevance, and more) and, for the flagship indexes, impact criteria based on citations. Most new journals that succeed enter ESCI first.
- Before applying
Two or more years of on-time issues, published policies, an international board with verifiable affiliations, Crossref DOIs with complete metadata, and clear evidence of citations from journals already in the Core Collection.
- Submission
Submit the journal through Clarivate's web form with accurate details. The evaluation can take many months; an unsuccessful journal must usually wait before re-submission.
- ESCI coverage
If accepted into ESCI, the journal gains a Master Journal List record, then a JIF and JCI, and from the 2024 JCR onward a position in unified category rankings.
- Moving up
Promotion to SCIE or SSCI depends on citation performance relative to the category over time. There is no application for a quartile; it follows from citations.
Software and services cannot shorten that path, but they keep the record it requires. JWJMS stores the submission, review and decision history; JWDOI registers the DOIs and metadata that let citations be traced; JWSCAN screens similarity; OpenRGATE keeps published work discoverable. Our guide on how to index a journal in Web of Science turns the criteria into a preparation plan.
Glossary: Web of Science and Quartile Terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Web of Science Core Collection | Clarivate's curated set of indexes: SCIE, SSCI, AHCI, ESCI, plus book and proceedings indexes. |
| ESCI | Emerging Sources Citation Index; journals meeting quality criteria, the usual entry point for new titles. |
| JCR | Journal Citation Reports: Clarivate's annual report of journal metrics, released each June. |
| JIF | Journal Impact Factor: two-year citations per citable item, published only in the JCR. |
| Citable item | Articles and reviews counted in the JIF denominator; editorials and letters are not. |
| Z value | A journal's category rank divided by the number of journals in the category; determines the quartile. |
| Quartile (Q1 to Q4) | The 25-percent band a journal falls in within one category by JIF (or JCI) rank. |
| JCI | Journal Citation Indicator: category-normalised citation impact over three years; 1.0 is average. |
| Master Journal List | Clarivate's free search of journals covered by Web of Science, at mjl.clarivate.com. |
| Calculated impact metric | A citation-based figure from sources such as Google Scholar; not a JIF. JMVRA's 11.25 is one. |
How Journey & Wisdom Helps
JMVRA is published within the Journey & Wisdom group, which runs four shared services — similarity checking, journal management, DOI registration and conference management — and thirteen publication platforms. These are the ones that matter most for this guide. For anything not listed here, email [email protected] or message WhatsApp +91 91063 65667 to discuss your requirement.
JWDOI
Crossref DOI registrationRegisters Crossref DOIs and deposits article metadata, and gives journals a sponsored DOI prefix without joining Crossref directly — for journals, books, chapters and proceedings.
jwdoi.org
JWJMS
Journal management systemRuns the editorial workflow: online submission portal, author dashboard, desk screening, reviewer invitations and reminders, revision rounds, decisions, issue building and publication scheduling — with a full record of every step.
jwjms.org
Scholar Research Publication Network
Scholar networkA researcher-centred network connecting an author's publications, profile and citations.
scholarrpn.org
OpenRGATE
Repository & discoveryA free open-access repository and journal-discovery platform where finished work is deposited so it stays findable.
openrgate.org
JWSCAN
Plagiarism & similarity checkChecks a manuscript for similarity before submission with iThenticate (by Turnitin) and returns an overall similarity index with a source-by-source report editors can act on.
jwscan.orgSee every Journey & Wisdom product and platform · JW ecosystem map
How to check a journal's Web of Science quartile: step by step
Write down the rule you must meet
Note whether it names Web of Science, a specific index, the JIF or JCI, a quartile, and the year that counts.
Get the journal's ISSN
Take it from the journal's website and confirm it on the ISSN Portal so you are checking the right title.
Search the Master Journal List
At mjl.clarivate.com, search by ISSN; note the index (SCIE, SSCI, AHCI, ESCI), the publisher and the categories.
Match publisher and URL
Confirm the record's publisher and journal website match the site you are using; a mismatch means a hijacked journal.
Open the JCR entry
Through your library's access, read the JIF, JCI, category rank and quartile for the category and year your rule specifies.
Check the quartile in every category
If the journal is in more than one category, note each quartile and use the one your rule or field expects.
Read the fee and licence
Confirm whether the journal is subscription-based or charges an article processing fee, and what the licence is.
Confirm scope fit
Read two recent issues to be sure your paper belongs there before investing months in submission.
Save dated evidence
Keep a screenshot or PDF of the Master Journal List record and the JCR entry with the date of your check.
Decide honestly
If the requirement is satisfied by a verifiable peer-reviewed journal instead, consider one and keep indexed journals as the next step.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Q1 journal in Web of Science?
A journal whose Journal Impact Factor rank places it in the top 25 percent of its Journal Citation Reports subject category for that year. The quartile is specific to the category and the JCR edition; a journal in two categories has two quartiles, and the band is recalculated every June.
How are Web of Science quartiles calculated?
Within each JCR category, journals are ranked by Journal Impact Factor. The rank divided by the number of journals in the category gives a value Z. Z up to 0.25 is Q1, up to 0.50 is Q2, up to 0.75 is Q3, and above 0.75 is Q4. JCR also publishes quartiles based on the Journal Citation Indicator.
What is the Journal Impact Factor formula?
For year Y, the JIF is the citations received in year Y to items published in Y-1 and Y-2, divided by the number of citable items (articles and reviews) published in Y-1 and Y-2. Clarivate publishes it each June in the Journal Citation Reports, to one decimal place since the 2023 release.
Do ESCI journals have an impact factor and a quartile?
Yes, since recent releases. Journals in ESCI and AHCI received a Journal Impact Factor for the first time in the 2023 JCR, and from the 2024 release they are included in unified category rankings, so an ESCI journal can hold a quartile. Older JCR editions ranked only SCIE and SSCI titles.
How do I check a journal's quartile for free?
Coverage is free: search the ISSN on mjl.clarivate.com to see whether the journal is in the Core Collection and in which index. The quartile itself is in the Journal Citation Reports, a subscription product most university libraries provide. Treat a quartile shown on a journal's own website as a claim until confirmed in the JCR.
Is a Q4 journal worth publishing in?
Often, yes. A Q4 journal has passed Clarivate's quality evaluation and is peer reviewed; its citation rate is simply in the bottom quarter of its category, which can reflect a small field, a new journal or a regional readership. Whether it meets your requirement depends on the rule, not on the band alone.
Can a journal move between quartiles?
Yes. Quartiles are recalculated with every annual JCR release in June, and journals move up or down as citations and category membership change. Most rules refer to the quartile in the year of submission or publication, so record the status with a date when you check it.
Are Web of Science and Scopus quartiles the same?
No. Web of Science quartiles come from Clarivate's JCR using Impact Factor rank in JCR categories; Scopus quartiles come from Elsevier's CiteScore percentiles (or SCImago's SJR) in Scopus categories. Different databases, metrics, windows and category schemes mean the same journal can hold different quartiles in each.
Why does my university care about quartiles?
Quartiles are a quick, external measure of a journal's citation standing among its peers, so selection committees, PhD regulations and grant evaluators use them to compare publications across candidates. They are a proxy for the journal's reach, not an assessment of an individual paper, which is why many rules also look at citations to the paper itself.
Is JMVRA a Q1, Q2, Q3 or Q4 journal?
JMVRA (ISSN 2984-8911) is not in Web of Science and holds no JCR quartile, and we do not claim one. JMVRA's 11.25 is a calculated metric based on citations from Google Scholar and Semantic Scholar. It is not an official Clarivate Journal Impact Factor (JCR). Check any journal's status on mjl.clarivate.com rather than relying on claims.
What is the Journal Citation Indicator?
The JCI is a category-normalised metric published in the JCR for every Core Collection journal, including ESCI. It averages the citation impact of a journal's papers over three years relative to papers of the same type, category and year, so 1.0 is the category average and 1.5 is 50 percent above it.
How does a journal get into Web of Science?
By passing Clarivate's editorial evaluation against published quality criteria (ISSN, peer review, ethics statements, board details, regular publication, English bibliographic data, citation evidence) and, for SCIE or SSCI, impact criteria. Most new journals enter ESCI first. No service can guarantee inclusion, and the evaluation commonly takes many months.
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Publish Your Research in JMVRA
Peer-reviewed, open access (CC BY 4.0), monthly and multidisciplinary · ISSN 2984-8911 · ₹971 for Indian authors and US$41 for international authors, payable only after acceptance.