What is a journal quartile
A quartile shows a journal’s position among other journals in its subject category. Q1 is the top 25%, Q2 the next 25%, Q3 below average, and Q4 the bottom 25%.
In detail
A quartile is a relative indicator. It helps understand how highly a journal stands within its subject area compared to other journals in the same category.
Quartiles are usually understood as follows
- Q1 — the best 25% of journals in the category;
- Q2 — 25–50%;
- Q3 — 50–75%;
- Q4 — 75–100%.
Why this is important
- authors use quartile when choosing a journal;
- some universities and commissions consider quartiles in reporting;
- it helps quickly assess a journal’s level within a particular field.
What is important to consider
Quartile refers to the journal, not the article. A strong paper may appear in a non-Q1 journal, and a weak paper may appear even in a higher-quartile journal.
A journal may have several categories. If it belongs to multiple subject areas, its positions in them may differ.
A quartile can change. Metrics are updated, and a journal may move from Q2 to Q1 or vice versa.
What is important to remember
A quartile is the position of a journal within its category, not an absolute assessment of the quality of every article in it.