Citation Reports and Journal Metrics
International Medical Journal of Health (IMJH)
ISSN: 2395-6291 | Tracking Impact | Transparent Reporting
"No single metric can fully capture the complex impact of research. The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) recommends that journals provide a range of metrics and avoid over-reliance on Journal Impact Factor as a surrogate measure of quality."
IMJH is committed to transparent, responsible reporting of citation metrics and journal performance. We provide multiple indicators of research impact, recognizing that each metric has limitations and that article-level metrics often provide more meaningful assessment than journal-level metrics alone.
IMJH supports the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and is committed to evaluating research on its own merits rather than on the basis of journal-based metrics.
Total Citations
h-index
i10-index
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1. Understanding Citation Metrics: A Responsible Framework
The DORA Recommendation
"Do not use journal-based metrics, such as Journal Impact Factors, as a surrogate measure of the quality of individual research articles, to assess an individual scientist's contributions, or in hiring, promotion, or funding decisions."
Journal-Level Metrics
What they measure:
Average citation performance of all articles in a journal over a specific period.
Examples:
- Journal Impact Factor (JIF): Clarivate | Average citations per article in a 2-year window
- CiteScore: Elsevier | 3-year citation window, includes all document types
- Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP): Corrects for citation potential by field
- SCImago Journal Rank (SJR): Weighted citations based on prestige of citing journals
Limitations:
- Cannot be used to assess individual articles
- Varies widely by discipline
- Subject to manipulation and gaming
- 2-year window may not suit all fields
Article-Level Metrics
What they measure:
Impact and engagement of individual articles, independent of the journal in which they were published.
Examples:
- Citation count: Number of times an article has been cited
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact: Normalized by discipline, year, and document type
- Altmetric Attention Score: Social media, news, policy mentions
- Downloads and views: Reader engagement metrics
DORA Recommendation:
- Evaluate research on its own merits
- Consider article-level metrics alongside qualitative assessment
- Avoid JIF in hiring, promotion, and funding decisions
IMJH Position on Research Assessment
IMJH is a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). We support the following principles:
- We do not promote Journal Impact Factor as a measure of individual article quality
- We provide article-level metrics alongside journal-level metrics
- We encourage authors and institutions to evaluate research on its own merits
- We do not use JIF in editorial decisions or peer review
- We are transparent about our current citation metrics and their limitations
- We support diverse indicators of research quality and impact
2. IMJH Current Citation Metrics
Current Performance Indicators
All metrics are updated quarterly from publicly available data sources.
IMJH Citation Metrics Summary
| Metric | Value | Source | Last Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Citations (all time) | 2,450+ | CrossRef/Google Scholar | December 2025 |
| h-index | 28 | Google Scholar | December 2025 |
| i10-index | 67 | Google Scholar | December 2025 |
| 5-Year Citation Count (2021-2025) | 1,820 | CrossRef | December 2025 |
| Citations per Document (average) | 2.9 | Google Scholar | December 2025 |
| Most Cited Article | 124 | CrossRef | December 2025 |
| Total Article Downloads | 185,000+ | IMJH Platform | December 2025 |
| Index Copernicus Value (ICV) | 98.72 | Index Copernicus | 2024 |
Citation Growth Trend
*2025 citations are as of December 2025; final count will be updated in January 2026.
h-index Trend
IMJH h-index has doubled since 2021, reflecting growing impact and recognition.
How Our Metrics Are Calculated
h-index:
A journal has an h-index of h if it has published h papers that have each been cited at least h times. IMJH's h-index of 28 means 28 articles have been cited at least 28 times each.
i10-index:
Number of articles with at least 10 citations. IMJH has 67 articles with 10+ citations.
Total Citations:
Aggregate count of all citations to IMJH articles from all sources tracked by CrossRef and Google Scholar.
Index Copernicus Value (ICV):
Composite metric evaluating scientific quality, editorial quality, technical quality, and international reach. Scored 0-100, with 98.72 placing IMJH in top 15% of evaluated journals.
3. Journal Impact Factor: Status and Transparency
IMJH Does Not Currently Have a Journal Impact Factor
Journal Impact Factor is calculated by Clarivate and requires indexing in the Web of Science Core Collection. IMJH has applied for ESCI (Emerging Sources Citation Index) indexing, which is the entry point for Web of Science.
Understanding Journal Impact Factor
Journal Impact Factor (JIF) is calculated as:
A/B = JIF
A = Number of citations in Year 3 to articles published in Years 1-2
B = Number of citable articles published in Years 1-2
- Only available for journals indexed in Web of Science Core Collection
- Released annually in June (Journal Citation Reports)
- 2-year citation window (other databases use 3-5 years)
- Subject to field-specific variation
IMJH Pathway to Journal Impact Factor
Web of Science ESCI Application
Submitted Q4 2024 | Under review
ESCI Acceptance
Estimated 2025-2026 | Entry-level Web of Science indexing
SCI/SCIE Expansion
2-3 years of consistent citation performance
Journal Impact Factor Assignment
2 years post-SCI/SCIE indexing
Typical timeline: 3-5 years from ESCI application to JIF
DORA Recommendation on Journal Impact Factor
"Do not use journal-based metrics, such as Journal Impact Factors, as a surrogate measure of the quality of individual research articles, to assess an individual scientist's contributions, or in hiring, promotion, or funding decisions." IMJH supports this principle. Our lack of a JIF does not reflect the quality of our articles, peer review, or editorial processes. We encourage institutions and funders to evaluate research on its own merits, not on the journal in which it is published.
4. DORA Principles & Responsible Metric Use
IMJH is a DORA Signatory
Since 2024, IMJH has formally endorsed the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment.
Our DORA Commitments
- No JIF in editorial decisions: We do not consider Journal Impact Factor when making acceptance decisions.
- Article-level metrics: We provide citation counts, downloads, and altmetrics for individual articles.
- Transparent reporting: We clearly explain our current metrics and their limitations.
- Multiple indicators: We report a range of journal and article metrics, not a single number.
- Educate our community: We inform authors, reviewers, and readers about responsible metric use.
Recommendations for Authors
When presenting your research for hiring, promotion, or funding:
- Emphasize article-level metrics: Cite counts, downloads, altmetrics for your individual papers.
- Provide qualitative evidence: Include peer review comments, media coverage, policy citations.
- Contextualize metrics: Compare to field-normalized benchmarks, not raw JIF.
- Use diverse indicators: h-index, i10-index, Field-Weighted Citation Impact.
- Educate committee members: Share DORA resources with promotion committees.
5. Top-Cited Articles in IMJH
Most Impactful Research
These articles have received the highest number of citations, demonstrating significant influence in their fields.
| Rank | Article Title | Author(s) | Year | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prevalence and Risk Factors of Type 2 Diabetes in South Asian Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis | Sharma P, Gupta R, Kumar A | 2020 | 124 |
| 2 | Impact of Telemedicine During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study of 5,000 Patients | Patel S, Singh K, Mehta N | 2021 | 98 |
| 3 | Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome: A 5-Year Prospective Cohort Study | Reddy M, Rao S, Deshmukh V | 2019 | 87 |
| 4 | Maternal Mortality Reduction Strategies in Low-Resource Settings: A Systematic Review | Omondi J, Njoroge M, Wanjiku C | 2020 | 76 |
| 5 | Artificial Intelligence in Medical Imaging: Current Applications and Future Directions | Chen M, Tan L, Wong K | 2022 | 71 |
| 6 | Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns in Tertiary Care Hospitals: A 10-Year Retrospective Analysis | Khan A, Ahmed S, Fatima Z | 2021 | 65 |
| 7 | Mental Health Burden Among Healthcare Workers During COVID-19: A Multi-Country Survey | Al-Jaber F, Hassan A, Mahmoud M | 2021 | 62 |
| 8 | Effectiveness of HPV Vaccination Programs in Reducing Cervical Cancer Incidence: A Population-Based Study | Tanaka K, Yamamoto H, Suzuki T | 2020 | 58 |
| 9 | Novel Biomarkers for Early Detection of Acute Kidney Injury: A Prospective Cohort Study | Wilson J, O'Brien S, Martin R | 2022 | 54 |
| 10 | Traditional Medicine Use in Sub-Saharan Africa: Prevalence, Patterns, and Implications for Modern Healthcare | Okonkwo C, Adebayo O, Mensah K | 2019 | 51 |
Article Citation Distribution
Articles with ≥28 citations (h-index threshold)
Articles with ≥10 citations (i10-index)
Highest citation count for a single article
6. IMJH Annual Citation Report
2025 Citation Report Available
Our comprehensive annual report includes detailed citation analysis, top-cited articles, geographic distribution, and thematic analysis.
Report Highlights: 2025
Total Citations:
2,450+
↑ 18% from 2024
h-index:
28
↑ 2 points from 2024
Countries Cited:
42
Global reach
Most Cited Article:
124
Sharma et al., 2020
7. Altmetrics: Measuring Broader Impact
Beyond Citations: Social and Public Engagement
Altmetrics capture attention and engagement from social media, news outlets, policy documents, and public platforms.
Social Media Mentions
Most discussed article: "Telemedicine During COVID-19" (Patel et al., 2021) - 210 social media mentions
News & Policy Impact
Policy impact example: "Maternal Mortality Reduction Strategies" (Omondi et al., 2020) cited in WHO African Region Health Policy Report 2024.
Top 5 Articles by Altmetric Attention Score
| Article | Altmetric Score | News | Policy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telemedicine During COVID-19 (Patel, 2021) | 145 | 6 | 210 | 1 |
| AI in Medical Imaging (Chen, 2022) | 98 | 4 | 156 | 0 |
| Mental Health in Healthcare Workers (Al-Jaber, 2021) | 87 | 3 | 124 | 1 |
| Type 2 Diabetes in South Asia (Sharma, 2020) | 76 | 2 | 98 | 2 |
| Antimicrobial Resistance (Khan, 2021) | 65 | 1 | 87 | 1 |
8. Geographic Distribution of Citations
Global Citation Footprint
IMJH articles are cited by researchers in 42 countries across 6 continents.
Citations by Region
Top Citing Countries
- India
- United States
- China
- United Kingdom
- Japan
- Indonesia
- Nigeria
- Malaysia
IMJH's Global Reach
Our geographic distribution reflects our mission to serve as a truly international medical journal. While we have strong representation in Asia (our home region), we continue to expand our reach in Africa, Latin America, and other underrepresented regions. We actively encourage submissions and editorial board participation from researchers in low- and middle-income countries.
9. Frequently Asked Questions
10. Contact Metrics and Bibliometrics Department
Metrics & Bibliometrics Department
Response Commitment:
All citation inquiries acknowledged within 48 hours
Verification letters: 5-7 business days
Online Resources
Citation Tracking Tools:
Google Scholar - Free citation tracking
CrossRef - DOI-based citation counts
Altmetric - Social media and news attention
DORA - Responsible research assessment
Our Commitment to Responsible Metrics
IMJH is committed to transparent, responsible reporting of citation metrics. We provide multiple indicators of research impact, clearly explain their methodology and limitations, and never overstate our current status. As a DORA signatory, we encourage authors, institutions, and funders to evaluate research on its own merits rather than relying on journal-based proxies. We are proud of our growing citation performance and grateful to the authors and reviewers who contribute to our impact.