Major Change in Academic Metrics

In a groundbreaking announcement, Clarivate has revealed that starting in 2025, citations to and from retracted articles will no longer influence the Journal Impact Factor (JIF). This pivotal decision aims to enhance the integrity of academic publishing.

Transparency and Accountability Remain Key

Set to take effect with data from 2024, this new policy means that retracted articles will still appear in article counts for the JIF denominator, ensuring that transparency and accountability in academic literature are maintained.

Addressing the Rising Retraction Trend

Nandita Quaderi, Senior Vice President & Editor-in-Chief of Web of Science, explained that the rise in article retractions and the decreasing time on record to retract them prompted this essential policy shift. Quaderi emphasized the collective responsibility in upholding scholarly integrity.

A Commitment to Research Integrity

This policy change is just one facet of Clarivate's ongoing efforts to bolster research integrity. As Quaderi states, the company is committed to refining other indicators and metrics within the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) to better reflect scholarly contributions.

Trivial Impact on Overall Citations

Interestingly, citations relating to retracted articles are minimal, constituting a mere 0.4% of the total citations—only about 20,000 of over 4.6 million citations cited in the JIF across approximately 22,000 journals. This makes the change a significant step forward without altering the overall landscape drastically.

The Future of Academic Publishing is Bright?

With this strategic initiative, Clarivate not only sets a precedent but also invites the academic community to reflect on the integrity of published research. As they continue to observe journal behaviors and gather feedback, the landscape of academic publishing may be on the cusp of a transformative era.