Web of Science Evaluation Process, Indexing, and First Impact Factor

Once a journal is submitted to Clarivate for evaluation, the review process typically takes approximately 15–18 months to complete.

The Clarivate evaluation process consists of three phases:

• Editorial Triage

• Editorial Evaluation

• Technical Evaluation

The Editorial Triage (first phase) and Technical Evaluation (final phase) are generally completed within a relatively short timeframe. The Editorial Evaluation phase is the most extensive and typically requires several months to complete.

During the evaluation process, Clarivate does not provide status updates. A Clarivate reviewer will contact the Indexing team only if additional information or clarification is required.

Following acceptance, it generally takes an additional 3–6 months for the journal’s content to be indexed.

The timing of a journal’s first Impact Factor depends on the date indexing begins. Clarivate requires a minimum of three years of data before assigning an Impact Factor, including two full years of published content and one full year of citation data.

Please contact the Indexing team to confirm the journal’s first eligible Impact Factor year.