Research paper and Impact factor

The journal impact factor measures the average number of citations received by articles published within a journal over a two-year period.  The IF is calculated by taking (1) the number of times all items published in any Journal over a two-year period (e.g., 2019 and 2020) are cited by other Web of Science–indexed publications in the following year (2019 in this case) and (2) the number of citable items published in any Journal in that same two-year period. Then the math is performed: 1 divided by 2. The resulting number is Journal X’s 2019 IF, which the journal will receive in 2020, usually in June. For Editors-in-Chief, the IF is an extremely important and useful tool, demonstrating the quality of their work through citations. It shows the world how well they fulfilled the roles of gatekeepers in scientific publishing. For publishers, the IF is a quantifiable measure of how well the various journals under their umbrella are operating. For authors, having their work published by a journal with a high IF can enhance their career.