What Is the Impact Factor of Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research?
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (I&EC Research) had a 2022 impact factor of 4.2, according to the Journal Citation Reports Clarivate. This figure places it among the established journals in chemical engineering. The impact factor reflects the average number of citations received by articles published in the journal over a two-year window.
How the Impact Factor Is Calculated
For a given year, the impact factor equals the number of citations in that year to articles published in the previous two years, divided by the total number of citable articles published in those same two years. For I&EC Research, the 2022 impact factor of 4.2 means that, on average, each article published in 2020 and 2021 was cited about 4.2 times during 2022.
This metric is useful for comparing journals within a subject category. A higher impact factor often indicates that a journal’s articles are more frequently cited. However, it is not a direct measure of the quality of any individual paper. Citation patterns vary across disciplines, and chemical engineering journals tend to have lower impact factors than those in fields like molecular biology.
The Journal’s Scope and History
I&EC Research is a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Chemical Society American Chemical Society. It covers the full breadth of chemical engineering, including applied chemistry, process design, reaction engineering, separations, materials, and environmental topics. The journal was established in 1909 as the Journal of Industrial & Engineering Chemistry and adopted its current title in 1970 Wikipedia.
In 1986, three separate ACS journals—Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Fundamentals, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Process Design and Development, and Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Product Research and Development—were merged to form I&EC Research. This consolidation brought together research on fundamentals, process design, and product development under one title.
Impact Factor Trends and Comparisons
I&EC Research has maintained a stable impact factor in the range of 3 to 5 over the past decade. The 2022 value of 4.2 is consistent with its historical performance. For context, other general chemical engineering journals such as Chemical Engineering Science and AIChE Journal have similar impact factors.
| Journal Title | 2022 Impact Factor |
|---|---|
| Chemical Engineering Science | 4.7 |
| AIChE Journal | 4.1 |
| Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research | 4.2 |
| Chemical Engineering Journal | 15.1 |
| Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data | 3.2 |
The Chemical Engineering Journal has a much higher impact factor, but it publishes a broader range of topics and has a different editorial focus. I&EC Research sits in the middle of the pack among general chemical engineering journals.
Limitations of the Impact Factor
The standard impact factor only looks at citations over two years. For engineering research, the citation half-life can be much longer. I&EC Research has a cited half-life of over 10 years, meaning that half of the citations to the journal come from articles published more than a decade ago. A paper that continues to be cited for many years may have a low short-term impact factor but high long-term influence.
The impact factor can also be skewed by a small number of highly cited papers. Authors should consider factors like acceptance rate, review speed, and the journal’s specific scope when making submission decisions.
Practical Advice for Authors
If you are deciding whether to submit your manuscript to I&EC Research, consider the following points:
- Scope fit: The journal prefers work that combines fundamental understanding with practical application.
- Review speed: The journal typically takes 2–4 months for the first review decision.
- Publication costs: I&EC Research is a subscription journal, so there are no article processing charges for most authors. Open access options are available for a fee.
- Indexing: The journal is indexed in major databases including Scopus, Web of Science, and Chemical Abstracts Service.
One Worked Example
Imagine you have developed a new method for removing heavy metals from wastewater using a modified adsorbent. Your paper includes adsorption isotherms, kinetics, and a fixed-bed column study. This fits well within the scope of I&EC Research because it combines applied chemistry with process engineering. The impact factor of 4.2 is appropriate for this kind of work, and the journal’s long citation half-life means your method could be referenced for years as others build on it.
Key Takeaways
- The 2022 impact factor of Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research is 4.2, as reported by the Journal Citation Reports.
- The journal is published by the American Chemical Society and covers all areas of chemical engineering.
- Its impact factor has remained stable in the 3–5 range for the past decade.
- The journal’s cited half-life exceeds 10 years, indicating long-term relevance for published research.
- The impact factor is a useful but limited metric; authors should also consider scope, indexing, and review speed.
