Impact Factors of International Nursing Journals

Abstract

Journal impact factor or impact factor is the average number of citations the average article receives per annum in the two years after the publication year. It is published annually in Journal Citation Reports (JCR) publishing two editions each year, a science and a social science edition. Impact factors are useful information for scholarly research and publication. However, impact factor is not a perfect tool to measure the quality of articles, individual author, and institutions. As a result, it should be treated with care. Nurse researchers and scholars need to have an understanding about impact factor. The objectives of this article are to 1) describe meaning and calculation of impact factor; 2) explain characteristics of citations; 3) address factors affecting impact factor or limitations of the impact factor; and 4) present impact factors of international nursing journals for the journal year 2009.