Article-level metrics can be ‘rolled up’ to analyse the performance of a journal title. The ‘main-players’ for journal-level metrics are Elsevier (a publisher and indexer) and Clarivate Analytics (indexer only). Not all journal titles are indexed and only publications indexed by Elsevier in Scopus form the data set that is analysed for international university rankings.
Journal-level metrics measure the influence and research impact of journals. The measures are predominately based on citation counts. Journal metrics are used by researchers to identify the most appropriate and influential journals in which to publish and to track citation patterns to make strategic and funding decisions.