For the 2021 Journal Citation Reports, a new visual experience

This is the third in a series of updates to provide information on the 2021 Journal Citation Reports release. You can read about Journal Citation Reports 2022 here.

From its origins as a print edition in 1975, Journal Citation Reports™ (JCR) has come far. Indeed, for the first 14 years of its existence, JCR was bundled with the annual print volumes of the Science Citation Index™. Subsequent years saw not only the emergence of the JCR as a separate resource, but a continuous expansion of its contents and metrics toward greater breadth, context and transparency.

The latest release of the JCR, anticipated on June 30, extends this tradition. In addition to refinements discussed in recent posts – expanded journal coverage as well as the new Journal Citation Indicator metric – the 2021 JCR offers a revamped user interface. New graphics will improve the user experience with simpler, more direct searching while affording a deeper look into the data; for example, a view of how a journal’s metrics have evolved over time.

 

You spoke, we listened

The design for the new user interface was informed by opinions and suggestions drawn from more than 2,000 feedback forms submitted by you, our users. We gleaned additional information from recent in-depth interviews with customers. Addressing this feedback involved the collaborative efforts of multiple Clarivate departments, including specialists in journal content, user experience and technology, along with the latest customer input relayed by product and sales staff.

Our goal was to create an interface by which the layered, rich data of the JCR can be easily and intuitively explored and visualized. In the upgraded design, this streamlined process begins with a new home page.

 

 

The search process has been improved for ready access to the data operations most favored by users.

Another refinement concerns the presentation of the journals themselves: journal titles have been deduplicated, with individual titles displayed as a single entity, even if the given journal is covered in different editions of the Web of Science Core Collection™ or, over time, has changed its ISSN.

 

Tracking data over time

As mentioned, the new release’s interactive graphics permit a more complete, dynamic view of data. For example, users can obtain a full picture of the calculations – along with the specific papers – underlying the Journal Impact Factor™ (JIF) score for any title, along with a graph showing the JIF trend over time.

 

 

Another graphics option breaks down a journal’s citable items and citations, including the specific varieties of Open Access content.

 

 

For deeper analysis of JCR data, a Journals API is available with the new release, which allows the integration of journal performance metrics and other benchmarking tools into an institution’s internal system.

 

Dual access

To assist with the changeover to the new interface, we’re pleased to offer a new JCR resource center, featuring product updates and “Getting Started” guides.

Dual access to the new platform as well as the old one will be available until the end of the year. Users who are more comfortable with the older experience will be able to access the classic version. The older environment, however, will not include the recently added journal content from the Arts & Humanities Citation Index™ and the Emerging Sources Citation Index™, nor will users have access to the new Journal Citation Indicator metric.

With this latest release, the evolution of the JCR continues.

Find out more about the Journal Citation Reports here.