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Choosing a Journal

Strategies and tools for investigating and evaluating your options

Immediacy Index Information

Category: Journal Level

Definition: A metric that indicates the average number of times an article is cited in the year it is published. It is calculated by dividing the number of citations to articles published in a given year by the number of articles published in that year.

Use Case: The Immediacy Index can provide a useful perspective when comparing journals specializing in cutting-edge research.

Location: Journal Citation Reports (Web of Science)

Field Normalized?  No

Caveats: 

  • May not predict ultimate citation performance.
  • Not reliable for items published very late in the year.

Sample Statement: The 2015 article co-authored by Dr. Gawande entitled “Global Surgery 2030: evidence and solutions for achieving heath, welfare, and economic development” and published in The Lancet was cited 25 times (Web of Science) that same year; The Lancet has an Immediacy Index of 22.8 (JCR).

What that means: On average documents published in this journal will receive 22.8 citations in their first year of publication.

Additional Information and Resources Regarding Immediacy Index