Advancing transparency and responsible journal evaluation
LONDON, June 17, 2026 -- Clarivate Plc (NYSE: CLVT), a leading global provider of transformative intelligence, today announced the release of the Journal Citation Reports 2026. Now in its sixth decade, Journal Citation Reports (JCR) continues to provide a publisher-neutral framework for assessing journal influence across the global research ecosystem.
The 2026 edition builds on a series of recent enhancements designed to improve consistency, transparency and inclusivity in journal-level metrics. It includes metrics for 22,643 journals across 254 categories, reflecting the breadth and diversity of scholarly publishing worldwide.
Bar Veinstein, President, Academia & Government at Clarivate, said: "As scholarly publishing continues to evolve, we remain focused on helping publishers, librarians and researchers make informed decisions with confidence. The Journal Citation Reports 2026 reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting the research community with trusted, transparent and context-rich journal intelligence.
"Our publisher-neutral approach, ongoing refinements and focus on research integrity means that JCR continues to serve as a gold-standard benchmark for the global scholarly community, over fifty years after its first publication."
New data highlights growing diversification of research
The 2026 release, reflecting 2025 data, highlights several notable trends shaping scholarly publishing:
- Expansion of global participation: 521 journals received a Journal Impact Factor for the first time, from 47 countries/regions. Of these journals, 58% are based outside the United States and Western Europe
- Shifts in author geography: Mainland China and the United States remain the most represented countries/regions, accounting for 48% of author affiliations
- Global South representation continues to grow. The countries/regions with the largest increases in author representation from 2023 to 2025 are Mainland China (23%) and India (12%)
- Global South author affiliations increased 6% from 2024 and 10% from 2023.
These trends underscore the increasing globalization and diversification of research output.
Supporting responsible use of journal metrics
To support more balanced and contextual interpretation, the JCR provides a range of complementary indicators beyond the Journal Impact Factor, including field-normalized metrics such as the Journal Citation Indicator (JCI), descriptive data and category-level benchmarks. The journal-level indicators contained within the JCR are designed to support journal evaluation, not to assess the performance of individual researchers or articles.
This multidimensional approach enables publishers, librarians and researchers to interpret journal performance within the appropriate disciplinary and methodological context, supporting more informed decision-making.
A consistent and trusted foundation for the global research community
Consistency remains a defining strength of Journal Citation Reports. Stable methodology and dependable year-on-year data enable stakeholders to:
- Evaluate journal performance
- Support collection and funding decisions
- Interpret trends across disciplines over time.
Learn more about the Journal Citation Reports 2026 release.
Notes to editors:
About Clarivate
Clarivate is a leading global provider of transformative intelligence. We offer enriched data, insights & analytics, workflow solutions and expert services in the areas of Academia & Government, Intellectual Property and Life Sciences & Healthcare. For more information, please visit www.clarivate.com
Media contact:
Amy Bourke-Waite, Senior Director External Communications
newsroom@clarivate.com
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