CiteScore quartiles explained: which is best—Q1, Q2, Q3 or Q4?

Journal metrics have become shorthand for quality, and quartiles the shorthand for the shorthand. Used carefully, they help position a journal among titles in the same category; used carelessly, they mislead. This companion to our Scopus publication guide explains the terms that matter and the checks needed before relying on them.

What a quartile really is

A quartile is a percentile band, not a score and not an approval. Within a specified subject category and year, a journal's percentile position is mapped to Q1, Q2, Q3 or Q4. Q1 represents the top quarter, Q2 the next quarter, then Q3 and Q4. Ties, category size and database methodology can affect the exact number of titles in each band, so quartiles should be read as category positions rather than perfectly equal groups.

Two consequences follow. First, the label is meaningful only when you know which category, year and metric produced it. Second, quartiles are field-normalised positions; a Q1 result in one discipline should not be treated as directly equivalent to Q1 in another discipline with different publication and citation practices.

CiteScore, SJR and the Impact Factor

Three legitimate metrics sit behind many quartile claims. CiteScore is published by Elsevier from Scopus data and reports citation impact over its defined publication-and-citation window. SJR (SCImago Journal Rank) is also based on Scopus data but weights citations according to the influence of the citing sources. The Journal Impact Factor (JIF) is published by Clarivate from Web of Science data. These metrics use different databases, windows and calculations, so their values and quartiles are not interchangeable.

That provenance is also what separates recognised metrics from the fake impact factors advertised by deceptive journals. A metric should be verified at the organisation that calculates or publishes it, not copied from a journal's own badge or marketing page.

Why one journal can be Q1 and Q2 at once

This is not necessarily a contradiction. A journal may be assigned to several subject categories and can occupy a different percentile band in each—for example, Q1 in one category and Q2 in another. It may also have a Scopus CiteScore quartile, an SJR quartile and a Web of Science JIF quartile that do not match because they arise from different systems. When someone quotes “Q1,” the essential follow-up is: which metric, category, year and source?

How to verify a quartile correctly

1. Open the source database. For CiteScore, use Scopus Sources rather than the journal's own website.
2. Match the exact title and identifiers. Check the ISSN/eISSN and publisher so a similarly named or cloned title is not mistaken for the genuine journal.
3. Record the year and category. Quartiles change over time and can differ across categories.
4. Name the metric. Do not present a CiteScore, SJR or JIF quartile as though all three were the same.
5. Check current coverage. A historical metric does not prove that a journal is currently active or indexed.
6. Assess fit and conduct. Scope, editorial practice, review integrity, fees and publication history matter even when a quartile is genuine.

A strong paper in a well-matched Q2 journal may serve the research better than a weak fit forced into a nominally Q1 title. Journal-level averages are context for selection; they are not a measure of the value of an individual article.

How I use quartiles in journal selection

When I advise scholars on where to submit, I use quartiles as an initial positioning signal and then stop leaning on them. I verify the exact category and year, inspect current indexing, read recent issues and assess whether the journal's audience and editorial scope genuinely fit the paper. A quartile has never told me whether a manuscript belongs in a journal—it only indicates roughly where that journal sits among titles in a defined comparison group.

Frequently asked questions

Which CiteScore quartile is best?

Q1 is the highest CiteScore quartile. It places a journal in the top quarter of a specified Scopus subject category for a specified year. Always record the category and year because a journal can hold different quartiles across categories.

What does Q1 mean for a journal?

Q1 means the journal is in the top 25 per cent of its subject category for the stated metric and year. It is a relative position, not certification that every article or editorial practice is high quality.

Is CiteScore the same as the Impact Factor?

No. CiteScore is published by Elsevier from Scopus data, while the Journal Impact Factor is published by Clarivate from Web of Science data. They use different databases and calculations, so their values and quartiles can differ.

Why is the same journal Q1 in one list and Q2 in another?

Quartiles depend on the subject category, metric, database and year. A journal assigned to multiple categories can rank differently in each, and its Scopus-based position can differ from its Web of Science position.

Primary verification sources: Elsevier's CiteScore documentation, Scopus Sources, SCImago Journal Rank and the Web of Science Master Journal List. Definitions are summarised from these public sources. Metrics and coverage change, so verify every decisive figure at the source on the day you act.