The top 50 medical journals with impact factor and weekly readership
This comprehensive list ranks top medical and scientific journals based on their impact factor, a metric that reflects the yearly average number of citations to articles published in each journal. Impact factors are a common measure used to evaluate the influence and significance of academic journals within their respective fields. Each entry provides information on the journal's focus, impact factor, estimated readership, and a link to the journal's website for further exploration. This ranking can serve as a valuable resource for researchers, clinicians, and healthcare professionals seeking high-quality, impactful publications to read or submit their work.
The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)
Focus: General medicine, clinical research
Impact Factor: 91.245
Readership: 600,000 weekly
Website: https://www.nejm.org
The Lancet
Focus: General medicine, clinical research
Impact Factor: 79.321
Readership: 1.8 million weekly
Website: https://www.thelancet.com
Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
Focus: General medicine, clinical research
Impact Factor: 56.272
Readership: 325,000 weekly
Nature Medicine
Focus: Biomedical research, clinical applications
Impact Factor: 53.440
Readership: 50,000 monthly
Website: https://www.nature.com/nm
British Medical Journal (BMJ)
Focus: General medicine, clinical research
Impact Factor: 39.890
Readership: 100,000 weekly
Website: https://www.bmj.com
Circulation
Focus: Cardiovascular medicine, clinical research
Impact Factor: 39.918
Readership: 20,000 monthly
Journal of Clinical Oncology
Focus: Oncology, clinical research
Impact Factor: 32.956
Readership: 15,000 monthly
Website: https://ascopubs.org/journal/jco
Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC)
Focus: Cardiology, cardiovascular research
Impact Factor: 24.094
Readership: 30,000 monthly
Website: https://www.jacc.org
Annals of Internal Medicine
Focus: Internal medicine, clinical research
Impact Factor: 25.391
Readership: 150,000 monthly
Gastroenterology
Focus: Gastroenterology, digestive diseases
Impact Factor: 22.682
Readership: 7,000 monthly
Website: https://www.gastrojournal.org
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
Focus: Respiratory medicine, critical care
Impact Factor: 21.405
Readership: 11,000 monthly
Diabetes Care
Focus: Diabetes research, clinical care
Impact Factor: 19.112
Readership: 12,000 monthly
Website: https://diabetesjournals.org/care
Hepatology
Focus: Liver diseases, hepatology
Impact Factor: 17.298
Readership: 6,000 monthly
Website: https://aasldpubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15273350
Molecular Psychiatry
Focus: Psychiatry, molecular biology, genetics
Impact Factor: 15.992
Readership: 7,000 monthly
Website: https://www.nature.com/mp
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Focus: Biomedical research, clinical investigations
Impact Factor: 14.808
Readership: 60,000 monthly
Website: https://www.jci.org
Journal of Experimental Medicine
Focus: Immunology, cell biology, disease mechanisms
Impact Factor: 13.697
Readership: 8,000 monthly
Website: https://rupress.org/jem
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Focus: Allergy, Immunology
Impact Factor: 13.258
Readership: 9,000 monthly
Website: https://www.jacionline.org
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
Focus: Neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry
Impact Factor: 11.740
Readership: 6,000 monthly
Website: https://jnnp.bmj.com
PLOS Medicine
Focus: Public health, global health, clinical research
Impact Factor: 11.675
Readership: 500,000 monthly
Clinical Infectious Diseases
Focus: Infectious diseases, clinical care
Impact Factor: 9.079
Readership: 14,000 monthly
Website: https://academic.oup.com/cid
Chest
Focus: Pulmonary, critical care, sleep medicine
Impact Factor: 10.262
Readership: 23,000 monthly
Website: https://journal.chestnet.org
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Focus: Nutrition, dietary studies
Impact Factor: 7.045
Readership: 10,000 monthly
Website: https://academic.oup.com/ajcn
Journal of Infectious Diseases
Focus: Infectious diseases, epidemiology
Impact Factor: 6.273
Readership: 15,000 monthly
Website: https://academic.oup.com/jid
Journal of Immunology
Focus: Immunology, immune system research
Impact Factor: 4.539
Readership: 10,000 monthly
Website: https://www.jimmunol.org
European Heart Journal
Focus: Cardiology, cardiovascular research
Impact Factor: 29.983
Readership: 11,000 monthly
Website: https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj
Annals of Surgery
Focus: Surgery, surgical research
Impact Factor: 13.787
Readership: 5,000 monthly
Ophthalmology
Focus: Ophthalmology, eye diseases
Impact Factor: 9.484
Readership: 7,000 monthly
Website: https://www.aaojournal.org
Anesthesiology
Focus: Anesthesiology, perioperative medicine
Impact Factor: 7.892
Readership: 6,000 monthly
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN)
Focus: Nephrology, kidney research
Impact Factor: 10.121
Readership: 8,000 monthly
Website: https://jasn.asnjournals.org
Arthritis & Rheumatology
Focus: Rheumatology, arthritis research
Impact Factor: 10.995
Readership: 6,000 monthly
Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS)
Focus: Orthopedics, musculoskeletal research
Impact Factor: 4.578
Readership: 9,000 monthly
Website: https://www.jbjs.org/
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD)
Focus: Dermatology, skin diseases
Impact Factor: 9.798
Readership: 7,000 monthly
Website: https://www.jaad.org
Radiology
Focus: Radiology, imaging research
Impact Factor: 7.931
Readership: 5,000 monthly
Thorax
Focus: Respiratory medicine, lung diseases
Impact Factor: 10.032
Readership: 4,000 monthly
Website: https://thorax.bmj.com
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM)
Focus: Endocrinology, metabolic research
Impact Factor: 5.958
Readership: 7,000 monthly
Website: https://academic.oup.com/jcem
American Journal of Psychiatry
Focus: Psychiatry, mental health research
Impact Factor: 16.955
Readership: 10,000 monthly
Website: https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org
Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology
Focus: Gastroenterology, clinical research
Impact Factor: 4.331
Readership: 5,000 monthly
Website: https://journals.lww.com/jcge
Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Focus: Gastroenterology, hepatology
Impact Factor: 8.549
Readership: 6,000 monthly
Website: https://www.cghjournal.org
Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Focus: Thoracic surgery, cardiovascular surgery
Impact Factor: 5.209
Readership: 5,000 monthly
Website: https://www.jtcvs.org
Journal of Neurosurgery
Focus: Neurosurgery, neurological research
Impact Factor: 4.318
Readership: 4,000 monthly
Website: https://thejns.org
Neurosurgery
Focus: Neurosurgery, clinical research
Impact Factor: 4.408
Readership: 3,500 monthly
Journal of Pediatric Surgery
Focus: Pediatric surgery, clinical research
Impact Factor: 2.317
Readership: 3,000 monthly
Website: https://www.jpedsurg.org
Journal of Urology
Focus: Urology, genitourinary research
Impact Factor: 5.647
Readership: 5,000 monthly
Journal of Clinical Pathology
Focus: Pathology, clinical research
Impact Factor: 2.900
Readership: 4,000 monthly
Website: https://jcp.bmj.com
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Focus: Antimicrobial research, infectious diseases
Impact Factor: 5.439
Readership: 3,500 monthly
Website: https://academic.oup.com/jac
Journal of Medical Genetics
Focus: Medical genetics, genomic research
Impact Factor: 6.269
Readership: 3,000 monthly
Website: https://jmg.bmj.com
Journal of Clinical Virology
Focus: Virology, viral diseases
Impact Factor: 3.602
Readership: 2,500 monthly
Website: https://www.journalofclinicalvirology.com
Please note that impact factors are approximate and can vary each year. Readership numbers are estimates based on available data.
