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Top 100 Journal Publications In The World: Global Rankings

Discover the pinnacle of academic publishing with our definitive list of the Top 100 Journal Publications in the World.

This carefully curated selection spans a wide array of disciplines, offering insights into the journals that lead in innovation, research impact, and scholarly influence.

Based on authoritative metrics and citation data from Google Scholar, this guide serves as an invaluable resource you to contribute to and stay informed on the cutting edge of their fields.

Top 100 Journal Publications In The World

How to determine a journal’s rankings.

Determining the value of a journal in the dense forest of academic publishing can be quite the task, especially with the myriad of scientific disciplines vying for your attention.

Impact Factor

A good starting point is to look at the journal’s impact factor.

This metric, often used as an indicator of a journal’s prestige and influence, reflects the average number of citations received by articles published in the journal. 

High-impact journals like those in the “Journal of the American Academy of Sciences” or “Springer’s Environmental Research” often boast impressive impact factors, signaling their importance in their respective fields.

Databases – Google Scholar, Scopus

Another critical aspect to consider is the journal’s ranking within international databases like Google Scholar or Scopus.

These platforms aggregate data on academic journals and provide rankings based on various metrics, including citation counts and impact factors.

A journal listed in the top 100 according to Google Scholar rank, for instance, is likely to be a high-quality publication respected by scholars worldwide. Google uses the H5-index score to rank journals.

It’s essential to dive into these rankings and understand the criteria behind them, as they offer insights into a journal’s reputation and the impact of its research output.

Top 100 Journal Publications In The World (Google Scholar)

Google Scholar, a widely used resource for academic literature, provides a comprehensive ranking of journals based on metrics such as citation counts and impact factors. Here, we explore the top 100 journal publications in the world according to the latest Google Scholar rankings (at the time of writing). We also look into their h5-index scores, fields, and a brief overview of each.

• Nature:  Score: 467 – Field: Multidisciplinary Nature is a flagship journal renowned for publishing some of the most pioneering research across all scientific disciplines. Its high score reflects its broad influence and the groundbreaking nature of its articles.
• The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM): Score: 439 – Field: Medicine NEJM is considered one of the most prestigious medical journals, known for its rigorous peer review process and for publishing high-impact research that often shapes global health policies and practices.
• Science: Score: 424 – Field: Multidisciplinary As a peer-reviewed academic journal, Science is celebrated for its highly cited papers across diverse scientific fields, reflecting its role in advancing knowledge and fostering scientific discourse.
• IEEE/CVF Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR): Score: 422 – Field: Computer Science CVPR is a highly regarded conference in the field of computer vision, with its proceedings being pivotal for researchers and professionals looking to stay abreast of the latest developments in the field.
• The Lancet: Score: 368 – Field: Medicine The Lancet’s long-standing reputation for publishing high-quality medical research makes it a go-to source for clinicians and researchers alike, covering a wide array of medical disciplines.
• Nature Communications: Score: 349 – Field: Multidisciplinary This open-access journal is known for facilitating the exchange of ideas and findings across all areas of science, ensuring broad visibility of research through its accessible format.
• Advanced Materials: Score: 326 – Field: Materials Science With a focus on cutting-edge research in materials science, Advanced Materials is instrumental for those exploring the design and applications of new materials.
• Cell: Score: 316 – Field: Biology Cell’s high impact factor is testament to its role in publishing significant discoveries in biology, particularly those that advance understanding of cell structure and function.
• Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS): Score: 309 – Field: Computer Science As a premier conference, NeurIPS is at the forefront of new advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence, showcasing high-quality research that pushes the boundaries of the field.
• International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR): Score: 303 – Field: Computer Science ICLR has rapidly become a key venue for the dissemination of cutting-edge research in deep learning and neural networks, reflecting the dynamic nature of the field.
• JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association): Score: 286 – Field: Medicine JAMA is recognized for its influential research articles that span the spectrum of medicine, aiming to inform clinical practice and health policy.
• Science of The Total Environment: Score: 273 – Field: Environmental Science This journal provides an interdisciplinary platform for research on the environment, tackling issues from pollution and contamination to sustainable practices.
• Nature Medicine: Score: 268 – Field: Biomedical Science Focused on groundbreaking research in health and disease, Nature Medicine is a key resource for understanding the biomedical implications of scientific discoveries.
• Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS): Score: 268 – Field: Multidisciplinary PNAS publishes high-quality research across the physical, biological, and social sciences, making it a cornerstone of the scientific community.
• Angewandte Chemie International Edition: Score: 266 – Field: Chemistry Known for its high-quality papers in all areas of chemistry, this journal is essential for chemists seeking comprehensive insights into the field’s latest developments.
• Chemical Reviews: Score: 264 – Field: Chemistry This journal stands out for its in-depth review articles that synthesize current knowledge and trends in chemistry, serving as invaluable resources for researchers and educators alike.
• International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML): Score: 254 – Field: Computer Science ICML is a leading conference focusing on the latest in machine learning research, offering insights into theoretical foundations and practical applications.
• Chemical Society Reviews: Score: 248 – Field: Chemistry With its focus on review articles, this journal provides a critical overview of the major developments in the chemical sciences, guiding researchers through the vast landscape of the field.
• Journal of Cleaner Production: Score: 246 – Field: Environmental Science & Technology This journal addresses the environmental and sustainability challenges in production and consumption, promoting research that leads to cleaner and more efficient practices.
• Nucleic Acids Research: Score: 238 – Field: Molecular Biology Specializing in DNA and RNA research, this journal is pivotal for those in the field of genetics and molecular biology, publishing high-impact studies on the structure, function, and applications of nucleic acids.

For journals from position 21-100, we list them down below:

• European Conference on Computer Vision : Score: 238 – Field: Computer Vision
• Advanced Energy Materials : Score: 236 – Field: Energy Materials
• Journal of the American Chemical Society : Score: 235 – Field: Chemistry
• IEEE Access : Score: 233 – Field: Multidisciplinary Engineering
• Advanced Functional Materials : Score: 230 – Field: Materials Science
• IEEE/CVF International Conference on Computer Vision : Score: 228 – Field: Computer Vision
• Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews : Score: 226 – Field: Energy & Environment
• ACS Nano : Score: 220 – Field: Nanoscience
• BMJ : Score: 218 – Field: Medicine
• Physical Review Letters : Score: 216 – Field: Physics
• International Journal of Molecular Sciences : Score: 215 – Field: Molecular Sciences
• Journal of Clinical Oncology : Score: 213 – Field: Oncology
• AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence : Score: 212 – Field: Artificial Intelligence
• Science Advances : Score: 212 – Field: Multidisciplinary Science
• PLoS ONE : Score: 212 – Field: Multidisciplinary Science
• Frontiers in Immunology : Score: 212 – Field: Immunology
• Scientific Reports : Score: 210 – Field: Multidisciplinary Science
• Circulation : Score: 206 – Field: Cardiology
• Chemical Engineering Journal : Score: 206 – Field: Chemical Engineering
• Energy & Environmental Science : Score: 205 – Field: Environmental Science
• Applied Catalysis B: Environmental : Score: 205 – Field: Environmental Science
• International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health : Score: 201 – Field: Public Health
• The Lancet Oncology : Score: 198 – Field: Oncology
• Journal of the American College of Cardiology : Score: 193 – Field: Cardiology
• Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL) : Score: 192 – Field: Computational Linguistics
• Nutrients : Score: 189 – Field: Nutrition & Dietetics
• Nature Genetics : Score: 188 – Field: Genetics
• Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report : Score: 186 – Field: Public Health
• Applied Energy : Score: 186 – Field: Energy
• Nature Biotechnology : Score: 185 – Field: Biotechnology
• Sustainability : Score: 185 – Field: Sustainability
• Nano Energy : Score: 184 – Field: Energy
• Joule : Score: 183 – Field: Energy
• Journal of Materials Chemistry A : Score: 183 – Field: Materials Chemistry
• Nature Materials : Score: 180 – Field: Materials Science
• IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence : Score: 179 – Field: Computer Science
• ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces : Score: 179 – Field: Materials Science
• Nature Energy : Score: 177 – Field: Energy
• ACS Catalysis : Score: 177 – Field: Catalysis
• The Lancet Infectious Diseases : Score: 176 – Field: Infectious Diseases
• Conference on Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing (EMNLP) : Score: 176 – Field: Natural Language Processing
• Journal of Business Research : Score: 173 – Field: Business
• Gastroenterology : Score: 172 – Field: Gastroenterology
• European Heart Journal : Score: 171 – Field: Cardiology
• IEEE Internet of Things Journal : Score: 171 – Field: Internet of Things
• Nature Nanotechnology : Score: 170 – Field: Nanotechnology
• Environmental Pollution : Score: 170 – Field: Environmental Science
• The Astrophysical Journal : Score: 169 – Field: Astrophysics
• Environmental Science & Technology : Score: 169 – Field: Environmental Science
• Frontiers in Psychology : Score: 169 – Field: Psychology
• Immunity : Score: 168 – Field: Immunology
• Sensors : Score: 168 – Field: Sensors & Electronics
• Annals of Oncology : Score: 166 – Field: Oncology
• ACS Energy Letters : Score: 166 – Field: Energy
• Journal of Hazardous Materials : Score: 166 – Field: Environmental Science
• IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials : Score: 164 – Field: Telecommunications
• Nature Neuroscience : Score: 164 – Field: Neuroscience
• Gut : Score: 164 – Field: Gastroenterology
• Molecular Cancer : Score: 164 – Field: Cancer Research
• Molecules : Score: 164 – Field: Chemistry
• Small : Score: 164 – Field: Nanoscience
• Clinical Infectious Diseases : Score: 163 – Field: Infectious Diseases
• Nature Methods : Score: 163 – Field: Methods in Life Sciences
• Accounts of Chemical Research : Score: 163 – Field: Chemistry
• IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics : Score: 162 – Field: Industrial Informatics
• Physical Review D : Score: 161 – Field: Physics
• Bioresource Technology : Score: 161 – Field: Bioenergy and Bioproducts
• American Economic Review : Score: 160 – Field: Economics
• Cell Metabolism : Score: 160 – Field: Metabolism
• Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society : Score: 160 – Field: Astronomy
• Chemosphere : Score: 160 – Field: Environmental Science
• Blood : Score: 158 – Field: Hematology
• Cell Reports : Score: 158 – Field: Cell Biology
• Nano Letters : Score: 158 – Field: Nanoscience
• Advanced Science : Score: 158 – Field: Multidisciplinary Science
• Journal of High Energy Physics : Score: 158 – Field: High Energy Physics
• Nature Reviews Immunology : Score: 157 – Field: Immunology
• Technological Forecasting and Social Change : Score: 157 – Field: Social Sciences & Technology
• Frontiers in Microbiology : Score: 155 – Field: Microbiology
• Water Research : Score: 155 – Field: Water Science & Engineering

Prestigious Academic Journals By Ranking and Citation

This list of Top 100 Journal Publications represent the zenith of scholarly communication, embodying excellence across diverse scientific and academic fields.

This list not only highlights the journals that set the benchmark for quality and impact but also serves as a beacon for researchers aiming for the highest standards in their work.

As the landscape of academic publishing continues to evolve, these publications will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in shaping the future of research and knowledge dissemination.

Dr Andrew Stapleton has a Masters and PhD in Chemistry from the UK and Australia. He has many years of research experience and has worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Associate at a number of Universities. Although having secured funding for his own research, he left academia to help others with his YouTube channel all about the inner workings of academia and how to make it work for you.

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How to Choose the Journal That’s Right for Your Study

How to identify and assess potential journals

There’s a lot to consider when deciding where to submit your work. Learn how to choose a journal that will help your study reach its audience, while reflecting your values as a researcher.

Why journal selection matters

Choosing a journal that’s right for your research can be more complex than it seems. You want to publish in a journal that will help your study to reach its intended audience. Your research has a better chance of attracting readers, accumulating citations, and impacting the field when your colleagues can easily find it. For some types of research, a more specific publication might be the best fit, while for others, reaching a wide audience is key. Also, you want to publish in a journal that matches your scientific values and principles of integrity.

1. Determining what you need from a journal

Start by thinking about your research and how it might best reach its intended readers. Consider your values and expectations. Take a moment to answer the following questions:

• What is the topic of your study?
• Is your article specialized or interdisciplinary?
• Is your article an incremental finding, or potentially considered a big breakthrough?
• Who is your audience? Does your article have a broad potential readership, or will it be of interest only to experts in a narrow area of study? How will readers discover your study?
• Does your funding come with any special requirements for publication (for example, some funders may stipulate that you publish the work under an Open Access license)
• How do you plan to share your study? Is it important to you to have the option to post a preprint, or publish your peer reviews
• Does the journal uphold the highest values of ethics and integrity? Are you prepared to meet journal requirements for licensing, published data, and ethical disclosures?
• What is your budget for publishing? 

Taking advantage of transfers

Submitting to a highly selective journal means your chances of acceptance are lower, and you should honestly assess your work against their subjective selection criteria. But that doesn’t mean publication will necessarily be delayed if your manuscript isn’t accepted. Many highly selective journals offer facilitated transfers to a journal whose scope and readership more closely match your study, so that you can try your luck at a top-tier journal without losing too much time.

2. Identifying potential journals

If you’re getting ready to submit a research article you’ve probably been working in the field for a number of years, and already have a few favorite publications. Still, it can be worth taking a moment to review the landscape and see what’s new. Established journals are constantly evolving and adjusting their scope, and new journals are starting all the time. Here are a few easy ways to discover new publishing opportunities:

• Online search. For a look at journals on the rise in your field, try searching for related articles published in the past 1-2 years. To find journals that are expanding into your field, search Call for Papers in your subject area. Review the publisher’s website to learn more about how your article will fit at the journal. (Journal blogs can also be a great source of information!)
• Word of mouth. Check-in with colleagues, labmates, mentors or collaborators. What do they see as the exciting journals in your discipline?
• Journal finding tools. Many websites track journal metrics and performance, including factors like speed, acceptance rate, and compliance with Open Science policies. Check out Think. Check. Submit.

In a 2020 survey of new PLOS ONE authors we asked which information sources authors used to identify potential journals for their manuscripts. Here’s what they had to say:

3. Deciding whether a particular journal may be right for your specific study

Next, evaluate the journals on your list against the needs you’ve identified for your study, together with your coauthors. Which journals best fit your target audience, topic, level of specialization, and funder requirements? If you’re unsure about fit, check the journal website and see if you can answer the following questions:

• What topics are within the journal’s scope?
• Who serves on the editorial board?
• Is the journal indexed in the databases that are standard in your field?
• Does the journal uphold the highest values of ethics and integrity?

Also consider:

• Will the journal provide article-level metrics, so you can track the impact of your specific study?
• Does the journal charge an APC, and how much is it? Are your publication fees already covered by a regional fee structure or institutional partnership agreement?
• Are there any additional fees (for example, for color figures or extra pages)?
• Does the journal offer the particular type of article that you have written? For example, do they publish meta-analysis, negative results, review articles, or protocols?

Avoiding predatory journals

Predatory journals accept articles solely for monetary gain and do not offer a real peer review process. Spotting predatory journals can be difficult, but there are some ground rules to help you get started. Look at the journal’s website: Is the peer review process clearly described? Is the editorial board listed? Is the journal indexed in databases like PubMed or Web of Science? If not, steer clear… 

The website Think. Check. Submit. can be helpful

The Dos and Don’ts of Journal Selection

• Take the time to investigate options that may be new to you
• Choose your first and second choice journals with care, taking the needs of your readers and funders for this specific study into account, as well as the type of article you’ve written, and journal scope and requirements
• Watchout for potential predatory journals that charge fees without offering reliable peer review
• Discuss your needs and priorities with your coauthors and achieve consensus about your submission choice

Don’t

• Submit the same study to more than one journal at the same time
• Submit to journals that do not publish your type of study or article
• Just submit to the most prestigious journals in order (e.g. top general science journals, top journals in discipline, others)

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The contents of the Peer Review Center are also available as a live, interactive training session, complete with slides, talking points, and activities. …

The contents of the Writing Center are also available as a live, interactive training session, complete with slides, talking points, and activities. …

The discussion section contains the results and outcomes of a study. An effective discussion informs readers what can be learned from your…

Find the right journal

If you know the name of the journal you want to submit to, view all journals .

If you would like us to recommend the journal/s that are best suited to publish your article, use our Journal Suggester . All you need is an abstract or description of your article to find matching journals.

Tips for finding the right journal

Submitting a manuscript to unsuitable journals is a common mistake, and can cause journal editors to reject the manuscript before peer review. Choosing a relevant journal makes it more likely that your manuscript will be accepted. Some factors to consider are:

• The topics the journal publishes. If your research is applied, target a journal that publishes applied science; if it is clinical, target a clinical journal; if it is basic research, target a journal that publishes basic research. You may find it easier to browse a list of journals by subject area.
• The journal's audience. Will researchers in related fields be interested in your study? If so, a journal that covers a broad range of topics may be best. If only researchers in your field are likely to want to read your study, then a field-specific journal would be best.
• The types of articles the journal publishes. If you are looking to publish a review, case study or a theorem, ensure that your target journal accepts theses type of manuscripts.
• The reputation of the journal. A journal's Impact Factor is one measure of its reputation, but not always the most important. You should consider the prestige of the authors that publish in the journal and whether your research is of a similar level.
• What are your personal requirements: Does the journal usually publish articles quickly; is the "time to publication" important for you?

When looking for suitable journals in which to publish your own results, start with what you have read. You should already be familiar with published studies that are similar to yours. Which journal were those studies published in? The same journals may be appropriate for your manuscript, so make a list of them. If you need more journals to consider, you can do literature searches for other published articles in your field that are similar in scope and impact on the field, and see where they were published.

When you have a list of potential target journals, visit and read the websites for these journals. Every journal should have a page that provides instructions for authors, including information on many of the factors listed above.

Journals on your list that are not a match for your manuscript based on the factors listed above should be eliminated from consideration. Among the remaining journals, it is likely that one or more will stand out as a very good candidate. Consider if any additional experiments will give you a better chance of achieving publication in your top choice. If you are in a hurry to publish, consider which of the remaining journals offers rapid publication; if none do, consider which has the highest publication frequency. If your main goal is to reach as many readers as possible, strongly consider candidate journals that provide an open access option. Open access allows anyone to read your article, free of charge, online, which can make your article more likely to be read and cited.

When you have chosen the journal you think is the best fit for your study and your goals, it is usually a good idea to also identify your second- and third-choice journals. That way, if your paper is rejected from your first-choice journal, you can quickly submit to your second-choice journal.