Top 200 Highest Impact Factor Journals [2022] (2024)

Whether you are trying to decide where to publish your research findings, searching for a publication to share at an upcoming journal club, or simply interested in exploring the latest research in your field, you are likely to find this article helpful. We have compiled a list of the 200 highest impact factor academic journals in the world.

In general, these journals are well-known within their respective fields and are regarded to publish highly impactful research, review articles, and other pieces that set a quality standard for other journals.

However, while impact factor is one metric for assessing the prestige and comparative quality of a journal, it is not the only means by which an academic journal should be evaluated.

The quality of a journal should be assessed holistically, taking a variety of factors into consideration beyond impact factor.

In addition to reviewing these rankings we encourage you to visit the website of each journal, where you can learn more about its purpose, scope, editorial board and practices, publication policies, open access status, and other details that may better inform your search.

Impact factor is not an infallible ranking metric. Artifacts and gross manipulations that can result in misleadingly high impact factors for some journals.

For example, journals that exclusively publish review articles (which are often cited with greater frequency) can have higher impact factors than their non-review-based counterparts.

Check out our article on the history, definition, and implications of impact factor for more information on the metric and how it should be interpreted.

Data on the impact factor of each journal represents the two-year impact factor for 2020-2021 as identified by the Journal Citation Reports (JCI). Our list represents the 200 journals identified by JCI to have the highest impact factor in the world.

Keep in mind that these rankings include journals from multiple disciplines. If you are looking to learn about the rankings of journals from specific fields, consider checking out our other journal rankings.

Interested in learning how to improve the quality of your manuscript? Consider reading “How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper” (affiliate link) by Robert Day and Barbara Gastel. This engaging text has been described as “[required reading] for anybody embarking on a career in science” and “important guidance” even for accomplished scientists.

Top 200 Highest Impact Factor Journals (2022)

1. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians – Impact Factor: 508.702
2. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology – Impact Factor: 94.444
3. New England Journal of Medicine – Impact Factor: 91.253
4. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery – Impact Factor: 84.694
5. Lancet – Impact Factor: 79.323
6. Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology – Impact Factor: 66.675
7. Nature Reviews Materials – Impact Factor: 66.308
8. Nature Energy – Impact Factor: 60.858
9. Nature Reviews Cancer – Impact Factor: 60.716
10. Nature Reviews Microbiology – Impact Factor: 60.633
11. Chemical Reviews – Impact Factor: 60.622
12. MMWR Surveillance Summaries – Impact Factor: 58.769
13. JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association – Impact Factor: 56.274
14. MMWR Recommendations and Reports – Impact Factor: 55.857
15. Nature Biotechnology – Impact Factor: 54.908
16. Chemical Society Reviews – Impact Factor: 54.564
17. Reviews of Modern Physics – Impact Factor: 54.494
18. Nature Medicine – Impact Factor: 53.440
19. Nature Reviews Genetics – Impact Factor: 53.242
20. Nature Reviews Immunology – Impact Factor: 53.106
21. Nature Reviews Disease Primers – Impact Factor: 52.329
22. Nature – Impact Factor: 49.962
23. World Psychiatry – Impact Factor: 49.548
24. Science – Impact Factor: 47.728
25. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology and Hepatology – Impact Factor: 46.802
26. Journal of Clinical Oncology – Impact Factor: 44.544
27. Lancet Neurology – Impact Factor: 44.182
28. Nature Materials – Impact Factor: 43.841
29. Nature Reviews Endocrinology – Impact Factor: 43.330
30. Nature Reviews Neurology – Impact Factor: 42.937
31. Nature Catalysis – Impact Factor: 41.813
32. Cell – Impact Factor: 41.584
33. Lancet Oncology – Impact Factor: 41.316
34. Joule – Impact Factor: 41.248
35. Living Reviews in Relativity – Impact Factor: 40.429
36. BMR: British Medical Journal – Impact Factor: 39.890
37. Progress in Materials Science – Impact Factor: 39.580
38. Cancer Discovery – Impact Factor: 39.397
39. Nature Nanotechnology – Impact Factor: 39.213
40. Nature Photonics – Impact Factor: 38.771
41. Energy and Environmental Science – Impact Factor: 38.532
42. Nature Genetics – Impact Factor: 38.330
43. Psychological Science in the Public Interest – Impact Factor: 37.857
44. Physiological Reviews – Impact Factor: 37.312
45. Materials Science and Engineering R: Reports – Impact Factor: 36.214
46. Nature Reviews Neuroscience – Impact Factor: 34.870
47. Nature Reviews Chemistry – Impact Factor: 34.035
48. Nature Electronics – Impact Factor: 33.686
49. Annals of Oncology – Impact Factor: 32.976
50. Nature Reviews Cardiology – Impact Factor: 32.430
51. Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology – Impact Factor: 32.069
52. JAMA Oncology – Impact Factor: 31.777
53. Immunity – Impact Factor: 31.745
54. Cancer Cell – Impact Factor: 31.743
55. Nature Reviews Physics – Impact Factor: 31.068
56. Materials Today – Impact Factor: 31.041
57. Advanced Materials – Impact Factor: 30.849
58. Lancet Respiratory Medicine – Impact Factor: 30.700
59. Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics – Impact Factor: 30.065
60. European Heart Journal – Impact Factor: 29.983
61. Circulation – Impact Factor: 29.690
62. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science – Impact Factor: 29.394
63. Advanced Energy Materials – Impact Factor: 29.368
64. Progress in Polymer Science – Impact Factor: 29.190
65. Electrochemical Energy Reviews – Impact Factor: 28.905
66. Nature Cell Biology – Impact Factor: 28.824
67. Nature Methods – Impact Factor: 28.547
68. Annual Review of Immunology – Impact Factor: 28.527
69. Nature Reviews Nephrology – Impact Factor: 28.314
70. Molecular Cancer – Impact Factor: 27.401
71. Cell Metabolism – Impact Factor: 27.287
72. Lancet Global Health – Impact Factor: 26.763
73. Lancet Psychiatry – Impact Factor: 26.481
74. Annual Review of Plant Biology – Impact Factor: 26.379
75. Clinical Microbiology Reviews – Impact Factor: 26.132
76. Journal of Extracellular Vesicles – Impact Factor: 25.841
77. Nature Biomedical Engineering – Impact Factor: 25.671
78. Cell Research – Impact Factor: 25.617
79. Nature Immunology – Impact Factor: 25.606
80. Physics Reports-review Section of Physics Letters – Impact Factor: 25.600
81. Pharmacological Reviews – Impact Factor: 25.468
82. Infomat – Impact Factor: 25.405
83. Annals of Internal Medicine – Impact Factor: 25.391
84. Advances in Physics – Impact Factor: 25.375
85. Astronomy and Astrophysics Review – Impact Factor: 25.357
86. Nature Climate Change – Impact Factor: 25.290
87. Ieee Communications Surveys and Tutorials – Impact Factor: 25.249
88. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-computational Molecular Science – Impact Factor: 25.113
89. Journal of Hepatology – Impact Factor: 25.083
90. Lancet Infectious Diseases – Impact Factor: 25.071
91. Nature Neuroscience – Impact Factor: 24.884
92. Cell Stem Cell – Impact Factor: 24.633
93. Lancet Digital Health – Impact Factor: 24.519
94. Nature Chemistry – Impact Factor: 24.427
95. Annual Review of Psychology – Impact Factor: 24.137
96. Journal of the American College of Cardiology – Impact Factor: 24.093
97. Trends in Chemistry – Impact Factor: 24.081
98. Science Robotics – Impact Factor: 23.956
99. Annual Review of Biochemistry – Impact Factor: 23.643
100. Blood – Impact Factor: 23.629
101. Annual Review of Pathology: Mechanisms of Disease – Impact Factor: 23.472
102. Acs Energy Letters – Impact Factor: 23.101
103. Gut – Impact Factor: 23.059
104. Chem – Impact Factor: 22.804
105. Gastroenterology – Impact Factor: 22.682
106. Accounts of Chemical Research – Impact Factor: 22.384
107. Coordination Chemistry Reviews – Impact Factor: 22.315
108. Reviews of Geophysics – Impact Factor: 22.000
109. Annual Review of Public Health – Impact Factor: 21.981
110. JAMA Internal Medicine – Impact Factor: 21.873
111. Lancet Public Health – Impact Factor: 21.648
112. JAMA Psychiatry – Impact Factor: 21.596
113. Alzheimers and Dementia – Impact Factor: 21.566
114. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine – Impact Factor: 21.405
115. Progress in Retinal and Eye Research – Impact Factor: 21.198
116. Cell Host and Microbe – Impact Factor: 21.023
117. Trends in Cell Biology – Impact Factor: 20.808
118. Nano Today – Impact Factor: 20.722
119. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology – Impact Factor: 20.652
120. Nature Reviews Rheumatology – Impact Factor: 20.543
121. Fungal Diversity – Impact Factor: 20.372
122. Trends in Cognitive Sciences – Impact Factor: 20.229
123. Catalysis Reviews: Science and Engineering – Impact Factor: 20.217
124. Advances in Optics and Photonics – Impact Factor: 20.107
125. European Urology – Impact Factor: 20.096
126. Nature Physics – Impact Factor: 20.034
127. Endocrine Reviews – Impact Factor: 19.871
128. Annual Review of Entomology – Impact Factor: 19.686
129. International Materials Reviews – Impact Factor: 19.559
130. Trends in Biotechnology – Impact Factor: 19.536
131. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental – Impact Factor: 19.503
132. Nature Sustainability – Impact Factor: 19.346
133. Annual Review of Physiology – Impact Factor: 19.318
134. Lancet Planetary Health – Impact Factor: 19.173
135. Applied Physics Reviews – Impact Factor: 19.162
136. Diabetes Care – Impact Factor: 19.112
137. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases – Impact Factor: 19.103
138. Lancet Haematology – Impact Factor: 18.959
139. Advanced Functional Materials – Impact Factor: 18.808
140. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology – Impact Factor: 18.561
141. Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics – Impact Factor: 18.511
142. Drug Resistance Updates – Impact Factor: 18.500
143. Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology – Impact Factor: 18.486
144. Personality and Social Psychology Review – Impact Factor: 18.464
145. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior – Impact Factor: 18.333
146. Trends in Plant Science – Impact Factor: 18.313
147. JAMA Neurology – Impact Factor: 18.302
148. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy – Impact Factor: 18.187
149. American Journal of Psychiatry – Impact Factor: 18.112
150. Science Translational Medicine – Impact Factor: 17.992
151. Molecular Cell – Impact Factor: 17.970
152. Nano Energy – Impact Factor: 17.881
153. Energy Storage Materials – Impact Factor: 17.789
154. Light: Science and Applications – Impact Factor: 17.782
155. Nature Microbiology – Impact Factor: 17.745
156. Psychological Bulletin – Impact Factor: 17.737
157. Science Immunology – Impact Factor: 17.727
158. Trends in Ecology and Evolution – Impact Factor: 17.712
159. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics – Impact Factor: 17.659
160. MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report – Impact Factor: 17.586
161. Intensive Care Medicine – Impact Factor: 17.440
162. Hepatology – Impact Factor: 17.425
163. Living Reviews in Solar Physics – Impact Factor: 17.417
164. Journal of Hematology and Oncology – Impact Factor: 17.388
165. Circulation Research – Impact Factor: 17.367
166. National Science Review – Impact Factor: 17.275
167. Reports on Progress in Physics – Impact Factor: 17.264
168. Neuron – Impact Factor: 17.173
169. Basic Research in Cardiology – Impact Factor: 17.165
170. Acta Neuropathologica – Impact Factor: 17.088
171. Trends in Microbiology – Impact Factor: 17.079
172. Nucleic Acids Research – Impact Factor: 16.971
173. Nature Geoscience – Impact Factor: 16.908
174. Annual Review of Genetics – Impact Factor: 16.830
175. Advanced Science – Impact Factor: 16.806
176. Trends in Immunology – Impact Factor: 16.687
177. European Respiratory Journal – Impact Factor: 16.671
178. Academy of Management Annals – Impact Factor: 16.438
179. Nano: Micro Letters – Impact Factor: 16.419
180. FEMS Microbiology Reviews – Impact Factor: 16.408
181. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence – Impact Factor: 16.389
182. Annual Review of Materials Research – Impact Factor: 16.286
183. Progress in Particle and Nuclear Physics – Impact Factor: 16.281
184. Molecular Biology and Evolution – Impact Factor: 16.240
185. JAMA Pediatrics – Impact Factor: 16.193
186. Annual Review of Condensed Matter Physics – Impact Factor: 16.109
187. Studies in Mycology – Impact Factor: 16.097
188. Autophagy – Impact Factor: 16.016
189. Molecular Psychiatry – Impact Factor: 15.992
190. Acs Nano – Impact Factor: 15.881
191. Cell Death and Differentiation – Impact Factor: 15.828
192. Nature Plants – Impact Factor: 15.793
193. Physical Review X – Impact Factor: 15.762
194. Seminars in Cancer Biology – Impact Factor: 15.707
195. Systematic Biology – Impact Factor: 15.683
196. Human Reproduction Update – Impact Factor: 15.610
197. Journal of Thoracic Oncology – Impact Factor: 15.609
198. Matter – Impact Factor: 15.589
199. Quarterly Journal of Economics – Impact Factor: 15.563
200. European Journal of Heart Failure – Impact Factor: 15.534

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