How do you determine the value of a journal?

Author: Deidre Hudson Reuss

Senior Marketing Manager

As an author, how do you choose where to publish an article? Often, prestige and rankings, such as the Journal Citation Reports (JCR), come into consideration. In a new white paper, we’re exploring why all validated research is important. We challenge assumptions about journals with lower impact factors, showing that these journals are widely used, play a vital role in supporting specialised fields, promote inclusive publishing, and help early career researchers gain essential publishing experience. 

What is the point of journal rankings?

Journal Impact Factors (JIFs) and citation counts are often used to judge a journal’s value. But are they really the best way to assess the significance of a research contribution? “While a level of standardisation can be useful for evaluating and comparing journals, metrics like the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) and citation counts are often overemphasised as indicators of significance and novelty,” says Steven Inchcoombe, President of Research at Springer Nature. “This overreliance on JIFs is a concern for researchers and funders. A narrow focus on highly citable topics can come at the expense of innovative or exploratory research.”

Instead, we believe that trust and reliability should be treated as the cornerstones of good research. Our portfolio includes many inclusive journals, focused on methodological rigour and transparency. Many of these titles are categorised by the Journal Citation Reports as quartiles 3 or 4 (Q3 and Q4 journals). While these journals may not necessarily attract high citations, they often serve as platforms for multidisciplinary work, offer a space for discussion of new methodologies or data interpretation, and help to advance scientific discourse. The white paper explores the impact these journals are making.

Supporting specialised fields and emerging disciplines

Q3 and Q4 journals play a critical role in building and sustaining specialised and emerging fields of research. They often serve as the primary – or only – publishing venue for research in areas with smaller communities, fewer citations, or developing research networks.

For example, in a case study, AIDS Research and Therapy’s Editor-in-Chief Barbara Castelnuovo explains how her journal supports work with real-world clinical implications, which can impact policy decisions: “A lot of data that comes out from Africa will be a single case study, with limited population sizes based on funding… but when there are 20 published papers showing differentiated service delivery is working well, then you can have countries or organisations adopting these practices.”

These journals support research that may not meet the stringent novelty or dataset requirements of Q1 or Q2 journals, but play a unique role in shaping practices or informing policy, particularly in local and regional contexts. According to our analysis, across more than 80 disciplines, Springer Nature’s Q3 and Q4 journals account for over 50% of usage, with 60 of these disciplines exclusively supported by Q3 and Q4 journals. 

Our white paper shows that journals with lower impact factors are widely used and contribute meaningfully to the global research landscape, supporting specialised fields and fostering inclusivity.
Steven Inchcoombe, President, Research, Springer Nature

The engagement with these journals is growing

Our analysis also found strong and growing engagement with Q3 and Q4 journals:

• In 2023, Q3 and Q4 journals represented 22% of usage for Springer Nature titles.
• Readership is growing, too. In 2023, the average year-on-year usage growth for Springer Nature’s Q3 and Q4 journals was 27%, compared with 17% for Q1 and Q2 journals.
• High research-producing countries are reading content in these journals. In 2023, countries with the highest levels of usage included China, the United States, India, Germany, and the UK. 

This level of engagement challenges the assumption that only Q1 and Q2 journals attract attention. Researchers rely on these journals for foundational insights, such as experimental protocols, null results, or early indicators of a new research direction. Usage, not just citations, tells us who is reading and learning from the work.

Creating opportunities for underrepresented voices

Q3 and Q4 journals are also essential to ensuring equity in global research. By offering an inclusive and accessible platform for research that might otherwise struggle to find representation in more selective journals, Q3 and Q4 journals support authors from lower-middle-income countries. They also offer valuable support to researchers who lack the experience to publish in Q1 and Q2 journals, such as early career researchers. By prioritising accessibility and guidance, these journals often serve as an entry point into academic publishing, providing guidance and feedback to researchers to improve their research papers and ultimately help them progress their research careers.

As Editor Barbara Castelnuovo explains, “It’s a chance for people who are trying to publish for the first time: maybe they've done interesting work but they don't know how to package it. Instead of just rejecting, we try to tell them how to improve the paper and resubmit it.”

Rankings change

It’s important to note that rankings are not static. Many journals begin their life in Q3 or Q4 and climb over time. Our study found that of 86 Springer journals added to the Journal Citation Reports between 2019 and 2023, nearly half of those that started in Q3/Q4 or were unranked are now in Q1 or Q2. 

Read more in the white paper

Q3 and Q4 journals are essential to an inclusive, equitable research landscape. Whether you're conducting regional work, evaluating methodology, or publishing for the first time, these journals offer the space to be heard and validated. As we head towards an increasingly open access (OA) world, it’s essential that we judge research by more than citations and rankings. As Steven Inchcoombe explains, “OA enables more equitable access to knowledge and supports diverse research communities worldwide. Through this white paper, we aim to demonstrate that supporting OA in all journals, not just those with high JIFs, is essential to building a more equitable and inclusive research environment.”

Read the white paper ‘Demonstrating journal value beyond rankings’ to explore the data, editor interviews, and insights on why all validated research is valuable.
 

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