A Journal containing research papers is arranged into many categories and ranks. Don’t you wonder how some Journals have more reputation or are more, let’s just say, popular (for lack of a better word) than some other journals?
Well, if you are wondering that, then let me tell you why. So, you are writing a research paper (It could belong to any subject: Psychology, Physics, Medical, History). You are researching the topic you are writing about, and you come across a particular research paper that not only talks about the topic you are writing about but also touches on many other details and aspects of the topic, that it just amazes you and gives you insight into that topic. So naturally, you will refer to that research in your own research. Right? But you may not be the only one who found that research useful; there must be many such researchers who found that research paper useful, so they also refer to, or we can say cite, that research in their own paper.
So, if a scopus journal contains such papers that have been cited many times, it automatically reaches the higher ranks. So here we will discuss a metric system that allows journals to reach a higher rank. The ranking system includes the 4 groups: Q1, Q2. Q3, and Q4.
What Is the Difference Between Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 Journals?
Before we move further, let’s clear up one important point: a higher journal ranking does not automatically guarantee better research quality. Researchers may cite a paper because they disagree with its findings and want to challenge its conclusions. Therefore, citation counts alone cannot determine the quality of a journal or its papers.
Now that we have cleared this up, let’s begin! Several systems rank academic journals, but in this article, we will focus on Journal Quartiles: Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4.
Scopus uses CiteScore-based rankings to compare journals within specific subject categories. It then divides them into four quartiles based on their relative positions. Each quartile generally represents 25% of the ranked journals, with Q1 containing the highest-ranked group and Q4 the lowest.
So, what is the core difference between these four groups? Let’s understand it simply.
- Q1= Highest-ranked Group: It includes the top 25%
- Q2= The Second-Highest Ranked Group: It comprises the second-highest to the top 25%
- Q3= The Third-Highest Ranked Group: It includes the next 25%
- Q4= The Fourth or the Lowest-Ranked Group: It includes the last 25%
How Are Journal Quartiles Determined?
Before ranking them into the 4 groups (Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4), these journals are compared based on their citations, and some are also compared by the influence of the citations (If the Journals that cite other journals are themselves cited by other journals with many such citations, kind of like the movie Inception); all the journals that are being compared with each other must belong to one subject.
The evaluation of all the Journals (Of one particular subject) takes place where the number of times they were cited, the influence of those citations, and everything else are evaluated. Then the Journals are categorized from top to bottom based on their results.
After that, they are put into one of the 4 groups (Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4). Each of these Qs has 25% of journals each. So the top 25% of Journals go into Q1, the next 25% go into Q2, and so on and so forth.
Is Q1 Journal Better Than a Q2, Q3, or Q4?
Now that we know Q1 includes the top 25% of journals in a subject category, does that mean Q1 journals are always better than Q2, Q3, and Q4 journals? Not necessarily! As we discussed earlier, a journal’s citation-based ranking does not guarantee the quality of its research papers.
Let’s understand this with an example. Suppose you want to write a research paper on a psychological issue, so you start looking for existing studies that explain the topic in detail. You decide to explore Q1 journals because they rank among the top 25% in their subject categories.
You find a paper with hundreds of citations, but when you read it, you realise that its conclusions are incorrect. Curious about its high citation count, you examine the papers that cite it and discover that many researchers have cited it to challenge its findings or present evidence against its claims. In this case, the paper received numerous citations because researchers disagreed with its conclusions, not because they supported them. These citations can contribute to the journal’s ranking, even though they do not guarantee the paper’s quality.
Now, imagine finding a paper in a Q2, Q3, or Q4 journal that explores the same issue in greater detail and provides stronger evidence. Despite its quality, the paper may have fewer citations simply because fewer researchers have discovered or referenced it. This example shows why a higher quartile ranking does not automatically mean better research. Always evaluate a paper’s evidence, methodology, and conclusions instead of relying solely on its journal’s ranking.
Can The Same Journal Have Different Quartile Rankings?
The answer to this question is yes! The same journal can have different quartile rankings. This usually happens for three main reasons: subject categories, ranking systems, and publication years.
First, a journal may publish research papers from multiple subject areas, such as Psychology, History, Medicine, and Physics. Ranking databases compare journals within specific subject categories, so a journal can receive different quartile rankings in different fields.
For example, let’s consider Journal A, which publishes research in both Psychology and Physics. When the ranking system compares Journal A with other Psychology journals, its strong citation performance may place it in Q1. However, when the system compares it with Physics journals, it may rank lower because its Physics papers receive fewer citations than those of competing journals.
The second reason is the ranking system itself. Different systems use different metrics and calculation methods to evaluate journals. For instance, Scopus uses CiteScore-based rankings, while SCImago uses the SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) indicator. As a result, the same journal may receive different quartile rankings under these systems.
Finally, journal rankings can change from year to year. Citation patterns, journal performance, and the rankings of competing journals can change over time. A journal that ranks in Q1 one year may move to Q2 the following year if its relative position declines. Therefore, always check the ranking year and subject category before evaluating a journal’s quartile.
How To Check A Journal’s Quartile Ranking?
There are a few ways through which you can find the Quartile Ranking of a Journal:
- By Choosing a Ranking System: It is something we have already discussed about, there are many systems that rank Journals so you can choose any of these systems (whichever is most suitable to your preferences). You can check the quartile ranking of a Journal through Scopus CiteScore, SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), or Journal Citation Reports (JCR). These are some of the systems you can look into based on your preference to check out the ranking of a Journal.
- If you want to check the ranking of a particular Journal, directly search for the journal by visiting a relevant website. It is also advised to search for the Journal’s ISSN (A Unique Identification number, all the Journals have their own unique number)
- Check the Subject Category: As discussed already, when comparing the journals, it is checked that they belong to the same subjects, so look for the subject in which your preferred journal paper can be in, it could be Psychology or Physics, or any other subject, and inside that subject category, look for your preferred journal.
- Check the Ranking Year: Check the year for which you want the rankings for, that particular year what was the ranking of the Journal, you are checking for.
These are a few points that explain the basics of the 4 groups (Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4). Go through all these points properly, research more on these points, you can find many more points or more details about same points that we have discussed here. And accordingly decide if the paper that belongs to Q, that you decide to use is actually a paper of good quality, or if it just a paper that’s just in the top because of the number of citations it received (but for all the wrong reasons). So, next time when you are choosing a research paper, keep in mind all these things and then go forward with your desired paper.
