Our impact
Our impact metrics reflect the power of research that is open to all. We measure and communicate a range of metrics, including Impact Factor, CiteScore, overall citation rate, aggregate views and downloads, and news and social media mentions.
3rd most-cited publisher
In 2020, we were the 3rd most-cited publisher, increasing average citations from 3.9 in 2019 to 4.8 in 2020 for every article published with us.
1 billion views and downloads | 2 million citations
In 2020, article views and downloads increased by 62% over the previous year, totaling one billion. Article citations also increased by 50%, totaling two million.
Impact Factor
and CiteScore
Following the latest release of the Web of Science Group's Journal Citation Report (JCR) and Scopus' CiteScore, we have 46 journals with a Journal Impact Factor and 57 journals with a CiteScore.
The Journal Impact Factor is the average number of citations received in the last year to articles published in the previous two years. It is measured each year by the Web of Science Group and reported in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR). The 2020 Journal Impact Factors are based on citations in 2020 to articles published in 2018 and 2019.
The CiteScore journal impact metric measures the average citations received in a four-year time window to selected documents published in the same four years. The 2020 CiteScores are based on citations received in 2017-2020 to articles, reviews, conference papers, book chapters, and data papers published in 2017-2020, and divides this by the number of these documents published in 2017-2020. CiteScore covers all journal titles in Elsevier's Scopus database and is released once a year.
Most cited
journals
Many of our journals rank among the most influential in their fields, including the most cited in neurosciences, immunology, microbiology, plant science, and psychology.
In the news
Frontiers articles achieve high visibility and impact as a result of our promotion strategies. In 2020, Frontiers articles were featured more than 24,000 times in international news outlets.
63,744
total news mentions
(Altmetric)
Most featured by:
2020 news highlights
Robot artwork
What if you could instruct a swarm of robots to paint a picture? New technique published in Frontiers in Robotics and AI allows artists to do just that.
New Scientist, October 14, 2020
Virus-eating protists
First compelling evidence published in Frontiers in Microbiology that some marine protists are virus eaters, catching their “prey” through phagocytosis.
New York Times, September 24, 2020
Pandemic parenting
The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues in one out of seven new mothers, according to research published in Frontiers in Global Women’s Health.
Forbes, June 19, 2020
Music and exercise
Study published in Frontiers in Psychology is first to show that listening to high-tempo music reduces the perceived effort involved in exercise and increases its benefits.
CNN, February 2, 2020
On social media
Frontiers has gained significant visibility within the academic community across all social media channels. In 2020, Frontiers articles were mentioned more than 400,000 times.
1,479,715
total social media mentions
(Altmetric)
Top channels
2020
social media highlights
T cells and Covid-19
A study published in Frontiers in Immunology on how Cytokine storms and T cell counts may offer important clues on how to treat Covid-19.
241 likes | 489 retweets
Stress neurobiology
An overview of stress neurobiology published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, including timing and duration of stress responses and clinical implications.
1.3K likes | 663 shares
Gut microbiome
Research published in Frontiers in Microbiology suggests changes in the gut microbiome could lead to non-intestinal-related autoimmune diseases.
1.3K likes | 638 shares
Paternal mental health
Results published in Frontiers in Psychiatry show fathers who are more involved in parenting are less likely to experience depressive symptoms.
724 likes | 157 retweets