What’s new with RSC journals? Updated citation metrics, new titles and more transparent peer review
The Royal Society of Chemistry has today released news of several significant developments to our journals portfolio – including updated metrics, new journals and more transparent peer review.
The full metrics suite for measuring the performance and impact of RSC journals has been updated, reflecting the evolving nature of publishing and what matters in the world of research. The key statistics updated include time to first decision, Citescore and total article submissions, as well as Journal Impact Factors™ (JIFs).
The news comes as Clarivate released its updated Journal Citation Reports (JCRs), revealing the new JIFs for a host of RSC titles – including four that received JIFs for the first time. Some of the key metrics can be found below and a full breakdown of the key publishing statistics for RSC journals is available on the metrics page.
What are the highlights of the JCR update?
Inaugural JIFs
These RSC-published journals have all received their first JIF scores:
- Digital Discovery (6.2)
- Sensors and Diagnostics (3.5)
- Energy Advances (3.2)
- Environmental Science: Advances (3.5)
Citations
Four RSC journals are in the top 20 most cited journals in core chemistry* categories:
What's more, Journal of Materials Chemistry A was the 10th highest-ranked journal for 2023 citations across core chemistry categories.
*Core chemistry categories are: Chemistry, Analytical; Chemistry, Applied; Chemistry, Multidisciplinary; Chemistry, Organic; Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear; Chemistry, Medicinal; Chemistry, Physical.
Category rankings
- Energy & Environmental Science retained the top rank in the Engineering, Chemical category, and is ranked in the top five journals in three other categories.
- 25 RSC journals are ranked inside the top quartile of at least one category, with nine journals inside the top 10 in at least one category.
- Digital Discovery’s first JIF of 6.2 places it in Q1 of the Computer Science, Interdisciplinary category.
The RSC is also happy to announce the upcoming launch of two new titles, EES Solar and EES Batteries. The publications will take the total number of journals published by the RSC to 57. EES Solar will publish the latest in solar and photovoltaic-related research, while EES Batteries will accelerate the global push for better batteries and energy storage.
These new journals will offer authors the option of transparent peer review (TPR). Presently, 23 titles – around 40% of RSC journals – implement the practice, with more to follow suit.
TPR highlights the RSC’s ongoing commitment to both open science and high-quality peer review, with an average of 33% of authors taking up the option across the portfolio. The significance of this process places an added emphasis on quality, bolsters trust and helps peer reviewers understand what is needed from research.
- See the full list of RSC titles and find out what is available with each publication by visiting the journals page. Review the latest impact factors for RSC journals on the metrics page.
