2024 Top 20 Journals in Agricultural Science Ranked by Web of Science (WoS)

Agricultural science, also known as agriscience, is a multidisciplinary field that encompasses various aspects of biology, exact sciences, natural sciences, economics, and social sciences. It plays a crucial role in the practice and understanding of agriculture.

List of Top Most Agricultural Journals Ranked by WoS (2024)

Source
1. https://mjl.clarivate.com/
2. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.22948.45444

In academia, publishing articles showcases expertise and credibility. Journals with high impact factors signal significance in the field. Understanding how to gauge a journal’s impact can enhance your publication strategy. Impact factor, a key metric, reflects a journal’s influence over time. Calculating it involves dividing the number of citations by the total articles published. Assessing personal impact also matters, considering citations to your own work. This article explores the significance, methodology, and implications of impact factors, empowering academics and professionals to navigate the publishing landscape strategically and enhance their scholarly footprint.

What is Impact factor?

The impact factor (IF) or journal impact factor (JIF) of an academic journal is a scientometric index calculated by Clarivate that reflects the yearly mean number of citations of articles published in the last two years in a given journal, as indexed by Clarivate’s Web of Science.

As a journal-level metric, it is frequently used as a proxy for the relative importance of a journal within its field; journals with higher impact factor values are given the status of being more important, or carry more prestige in their respective fields, than those with lower values.

While frequently used by universities and funding bodies to decide on promotion and research proposals, it has been criticised for distorting good scientific practices [1-3].

Why is the impact factor important?

Impact factor, an index based on the frequency with which a journal’s articles are cited in scientific publications, is a putative marker of journal quality [4]. A journal’s impact factor holds immense sway over funding, submissions, and the reputation of publishers and academics. Upholding publication quality not only boosts citation rates but also enhances a journal’s ranking. High impact factor journals signal meticulous management and prestige, fostering a virtuous cycle of scholarly engagement and recognition.

How to calculate the journal impact factor?

Journal Impact Factor (JIF) is calculated by Clarivate Analytics as the average of the sum of the citations received in a given year to a journal’s previous two years of publications (linked to the journal, but not necessarily to specific publications) divided by the sum of “citable” publications in the previous two years [5].

The calculation is based on a two-year period and involves dividing the number of times articles were cited by the number of articles that are citable.

Calculation of 2010 IF of a journal:

A = the number of times articles published in 2008 and 2009 were cited by indexed journals during 2010.
B = the total number of “citable items” published in 2008 and 2009.
A/B = 2010 impact factor

The Impact Factor is reported in Journal Citation Reports (JCR)

CiteScore, which is similar to the IF but is based on a 4-year period.

Impact Factor Controversy

The impact factor (IF), widely used in academia, has sparked debate due to its limitations. It quantifies a journal’s influence based on citations received by its articles within a specific time frame (usually two years). However, critics argue that it oversimplifies research quality and favors certain fields [6]. Indeed, the fact that it is simple to understand – it is roughly the average number of citations that primary research papers published in two consecutive years gather in the following year – makes it all too easy to point out its shortcomings: the metric also includes citations to non-primary content (such as reviews and news articles); for many fields, citations accumulate slowly and thus the two-year time window seems too short; and the average number of citations per paper can be skewed by a few highly cited ones, of which high-impact journals have a big share [7]. Furthermore, a recent study found that papers published in predatory journals, which often lack rigorous peer review, have little scientific impact. Around 60% of these papers hadn’t attracted any citations at all, and less than 3% received more than 10 citations [8]. As we rethink science publishing, there’s a growing need for a broader, more-transparent suite of metrics to judge journals beyond the traditional impact factor [9]. Researchers and institutions should consider these complexities when evaluating scholarly work and avoid relying solely on impact factors for assessing journal quality.

Recent Biggest Discoveries and advances in Agricultural Research (2024)

1. Diversification Away from Maize in Sub-Saharan Africa: Researchers emphasize the need for farmers in sub-Saharan Africa to diversify away from growing maize. Instead, they recommend switching to crops that are resilient to climate change and supply key micronutrients for the population. Maize is a staple crop in the region, but diversification towards fruits, vegetables, and other crops like cassava, millet, and sorghum can improve nutrition security. The study also highlights the importance of increasing food production to meet the growing population’s needs [10-11].
2. Internet of Things (IoT): IoT technologies are transforming agriculture by providing real-time data collection. Farmers can make data-driven decisions using IoT devices equipped with sensors. These devices monitor crop health, soil conditions, and other relevant factors, leading to improved resource utilization and productivity [12].
3. Agricultural Robotics: Robots and drones are replacing manual farm operations. They can pick fruits, kill weeds, and perform other tasks, enhancing farm automation. Agricultural robotics improves efficiency and reduces labor-intensive processes [12].
4. Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI is integrated into precision agriculture. Machine learning algorithms analyze data from sensors, satellites, and drones to provide insights on crop health, yield predictions, and more. AI-driven decision-making enhances overall farm management [12].
5. Agri Drones: Drones equipped with cameras and sensors capture high-resolution images of fields. These images help monitor crop health, detect diseases, and assess irrigation needs. Agri drones contribute to efficient resource allocation and early problem detection [12].
6. Precision Agriculture: Precision agriculture optimizes planting, fertilization, and irrigation practices. By using data analytics, farmers can enhance crop yield while minimizing environmental impact [12].
7. Agricultural Biotechnology: Advances in biotechnology improve crop breeding, disease resistance, and nutritional content. Techniques like gene editing and marker-assisted selection lead to more resilient and productive crops [12].
8. Big Data & Analytics: Large-scale data analytics provide insights into crop performance, weather patterns, and market trends. Farmers can make informed decisions and improve overall farm efficiency using big data [12].
9. Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA): Indoor farming and greenhouse technologies allow precise control over environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and light. CEA ensures year-round crop production and reduces dependency on external conditions [12].
10. Regenerative Agriculture: A sustainable approach that focuses on soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience. Regenerative practices aim to restore soil fertility, sequester carbon, and enhance overall ecosystem services [12].

References

1. Waltman L, Traag VA (1 March 2021). “Use of the journal impact factor for assessing individual articles: Statistically flawed or not?”. F1000Research. 9: 366. doi:10.12688/f1000research.23418.2
2. Curry S (February 2018). “Let’s move beyond the rhetoric: it’s time to change how we judge research”. Nature. 554 (7691): 147. Bibcode:2018Natur.554..147C. doi:10.1038/d41586-018-01642-w
3. Hutchins, BI; Yuan, X; Anderson, JM; Santangelo, GM (September 2016). “Relative Citation Ratio (RCR): A New Metric That Uses Citation Rates to Measure Influence at the Article Level”. PLOS Biology. 14 (9): e1002541. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1002541
4. Saha S, Saint S, Christakis DA. Impact factor: a valid measure of journal quality? J Med Libr Assoc. 2003 Jan;91(1):42-6. PMID: 12572533; PMCID: PMC141186.
5. Measuring a journal’s impact. https://www.elsevier.com/en-in/researcher/author/tools-and-resources/measuring-a-journals-impact
6. The impact-factors debate: the ISI’s uses and limits – Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/415731a.pdf.
7. The diversifying nature of impact – Springer Nature. https://media.springernature.com/full/springer-cms/rest/v1/content/16138586/data/v2.
8. Chawla, Dalmeet Singh. “Predatory-journal papers have little scientific impact.” Nature(2020). https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00031-6
9. Wouters, P., Sugimoto, C. R., Larivière, V., McVeigh, M. E., Pulverer, B., de Rijcke, S., & Waltman, L. (2019). Rethinking impact factors: better ways to judge a journal. Nature, 569(7758), 621-623. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01643-3
10. Nutritional quality must be at the heart of climate smart agriculture …. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240102142030.htm
11. Farsani, E.D., Choobchian, S. & Naghani, M.S. Unlocking Agricultural Innovation: A Roadmap for Growth and Sustainability. J Knowl Econ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-024-01860-w
12. Uncover the Top 10 Agriculture Trends for 2024 | StartUs Insights. https://www.startus-insights.com/innovators-guide/agriculture-trends-innovation/