ACS journals are again among the most cited in chemistry; flagship journal achieves best Impact Factor ever

WASHINGTON, June 14, 2016 —The peer-reviewed journals of the American Chemical Society (ACS) are once again the most-cited and/or most-impactful scientific journals in 14 scientific categories, including six core chemistry categories, according to the 2015 Journal Citation Reports® (JCR)*, released on Monday, June 13, by Thomson Reuters. The citation-based rankings, which measure the influence and impact at both the journal and category levels, underscore the depth, breadth and quality of the research published across the Society’s preeminent portfolio of journals.

The 2015 JCR affirmed the continued high impact and scientific importance of ACS’ oldest and most renowned peer-reviewed journal — the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS) — as a forum for publishing essential, fundamental research of perceived significance. JACS achieved its highest-ever Impact Factor at 13.038, and ranked ahead of both Wiley and the German Chemical Society’s Angewandte Chemie (11.709), as well as the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Chemical Science (9.144). JACS continues to be the Society’s flagship publication, as the most-cited peer-reviewed journal in chemistry, with more than 500,000 total citations in 2015, up 3 percent from 2014.

Two-thirds of the 46 ACS journals featured in the report had a JCR Impact Factor of 4.0 or higher, with a Society portfolio median of 4.820. Seventeen journals posted their highest Impact Factors ever. In total, ACS journals were cited more than 2.76 million times in 2015, up from 2.6 million citations in 2014, for an increase of 6 percent. Despite publishing only 6 percent of the journals reviewed in the chemistry category, ACS journals are responsible for over 30 percent of the citations (over 2 million), an indicator of their high relevance and value to chemists and the research libraries that support them.

New ACS journals that were eligible for review by Thomson Reuters for the first time received strongly competitive inaugural Impact Factors, illustrating the value ACS adds to the dissemination of quality research in new or emerging fields of science. ACS Photonics achieved an impressive Impact Factor of 5.404, ranking as one of the top 10 journals in the Optics category. Environmental Science & Technology Letters received an Impact Factor of 4.839, making the top 10 list for the Engineering, Environmental category. This significant ranking reaffirms the success and impact of the journal’s parent journal, Environmental Science & Technology, which saw an increase in its Impact Factor to 5.393.

“I am delighted to see the impressive increases in Impact Factor for ACS journals; this is a direct reflection on the dedication and commitment of our journal editors, editorial boards and referees,” said James Milne, Ph.D., senior vice president, Journals Publishing Group of ACS Publications. “ACS journals are synonymous with high quality, high impact and unparalleled global readership. Coupled with some of the fastest publication times, one can see why researchers submit their best work for publication in our internationally acclaimed titles. I’d like to thank our authors, editors and referees for their continued support in making ACS journals the premier publications in their fields.”

Other ACS journal highlights from this year’s JCRs include:

• ACS journals are #1 in Impact Factor or citations in six core chemistry categories: Analytical, Applied, Inorganic & Nuclear, Medicinal, Multidisciplinary and Organic
• Chemistry of Materials achieved its highest Impact Factor ever at 9.407. This achievement underscores the journal’s role as the authoritative source for original, fundamental research at the interface of chemistry, chemical engineering and materials science.
• Five of the top 10 journals in Impact Factor in the Multidisciplinary Chemistry category are from ACS: Chemical Reviews (#1), Accounts of Chemical Research (#5), Nano Letters (#7), ACS Nano (#8) and JACS (#10). No other publisher is as highly represented in this category
• Six ACS journals are in the top 20 in Impact Factor in the Organic Chemistry category: Organic Letters (#4), Biomacromolecules (#6), The Journal of Organic Chemistry (#7), Bioconjugate Chemistry (#10), Organometallics (#12) and Organic Process Research & Development (#19)
• Six ACS journals are in the top 25 in Impact Factor in the Nanoscience & Nanotechnology category: Nano Letters (#3), ACS Nano (#4), Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters (#9), ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (#14), ACS Photonics (#20) and Journal of Physical Chemistry C (#22)
• Three ACS journals are in the top 15 in Impact Factor in the Applied Chemistry category: ACS Combinatorial Science (#11), Organic Process Research & Development (#13) and Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (#14)
• 17 ACS journals achieved their highest-ever Impact Factors:
  • ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (7.145)
  • ACS Macro Letters (5.766)
  • ACS Nano (13.334)
  • ACS Photonics (5.404)
  • ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (5.267)
  • ACS Synthetic Biology (6.076)
  • Analytical Chemistry (5.886)
  • Chemistry of Materials (9.407)
  • Environmental Science & Technology Letters (4.839)
  • Inorganic Chemistry (4.820)
  • JACS (13.038)
  • Journal of Chemical Education (1.225)
  • Journal of Organic Chemistry (4.785)
  • Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters (8.539)
  • Nano Letters (13.779)
  • Organic Letters (6.732)
  • Organic Process Research & Development (2.922)

This year’s citation and Impact Factor results reinforce the American Chemical Society’s commitment to be the most authoritative, comprehensive and indispensable provider of chemistry-related information — in keeping with the Society’s vision of Improving People’s Lives Through the Transforming Power of Chemistry. For full JCR results for ACS journals visit: http://connect.acspubs.org/jcr.

* Source: 2015 Web of Science^TM Data

About ACS Publications

ACS Publications, a division of the American Chemical Society, is a nonprofit scholarly publisher of nearly 50 peer-reviewed journals and a range of eBooks at the interface of chemistry and allied sciences, including physics and biology. ACS Publications journals are among the most-cited, most-trusted and most-read within the scientific literature. Respected for their editorial rigor, ACS journals offer high quality service to authors and readers, including rapid time to publication, a range of channels for researchers to access research via the Society’s award-winning web and mobile delivery platforms, and a comprehensive program of open access options for authors and their funders. ACS Publications also publishes Chemical & Engineering News — the Society’s news periodical for the global chemistry enterprise, covering science and technology, business and industry, government and policy, education and employment aspects of the chemistry field.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With nearly 157,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.