List Of Top 20 Chemistry Journals – Must Read

Top 20 Chemistry Journals You Can Refer 

Scientific journals provide a means of sharing one’s research and exposing their work to praise, criticism, and debate. It offers different benefits to people of all stages in their profession:

• To learn about the scientific community and its stalwarts.
• To be aware of the research work done by scientists throughout the month/year.
• To get updated with the latest research trends.
• To develop active and deep thinking that results in efficient critical analysis skills required for scientific research.
• To educate yourself on the varied options and opportunities available in your field.
• To get a more realistic and tangible perspective of scientific research and get rid of misconceptions.
• To understand the scientific approach to writing and publishing.

Looking at the reasons above, it is quite apparent that it is of prime importance to know what Top 20 Chemistry Journals you should read that cater to your academic interests. 

How does one gauge a journal’s credibility and suitability? To help you with this task, here are some tips on how to assess a journal.

How to evaluate the quality of a journal

Publishing in a good-quality journal gives a great push to one’s career and research

work. The quality of a journal depends on the quality of articles in it, and often, this goes the other way too. The quality of articles used in your literature review determines the strength of your research. There are several factors to consider in order to determine the quality of a scientific journal:

• Journal Impact Factor 

A Jornal Impact Factor or JIF indicates the number of times an average article in the journal has been cited per year. It decides the ranking of the journal. The period of time that decides the JIF is 2 years. The factors used to calculate the Journal Impact Factor are:

• JCR (Journal Citation Reports) provides journal rankings in the area of science and technology.
• SJR (SCImago Journal Rank) provided by the Scopus database.
• SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper)

The following formula is used to calculate the JIF:

Calculation = Cites to recent items/No. Of recent items

• Citation analysis

This again is indicated by the JIF. A citation analysis gives the reader an idea of the number of times the articles of a journal have been cited in a particular time period. The average citation record is a reliable factor since it is regularly updated, quantitative, and is evaluated by a neutral agency.

• Circulation and Coverage

It is very important that your research reaches your target audience. Such a factor is indicated by the journal’s readers and individuals who have the required access to the article. Journals that quickly reach a worldwide audience with online availability fulfill this criterion.

• Peer Analysis

Peer analysis is one of the most important factors to be considered for your audience of the top 20 chemistry journals, largely of peers in the scientific community ready to critically analyze the articles and debate over their contents. Reviewers and experts in the field with a wide range of knowledge and experience also assess the articles and journal for their caliber.

• Discussion Platform

A journal has to provide a discussion platform to debate the various positives and negatives of the researches described in it. This ability gives tremendous value to a journal by giving the readers an opportunity to vocalize their opinions and also perceive a topic with different viewpoints.

• Rates of Acceptance/Rejection

Some journals’ websites have their acceptance/rejection rates published. Although a high rejection rate indicates the high-quality standards set by the journal, it also signifies the limitations of the publication space. 

Journal Metrics

These are very similar to or the same as impact factors.

1. Impact factor or Journal Impact Factor.
2. SJR
3. SNIP
4. h-Index indicates the published paper’s productivity and the citation impact.
5. Eigenfactor ranks the article based on the journal ranking and assesses the citations with JCR (Journal Citation Reports) as reference considering the last 5 years.
6. Immediacy Index is calculated by dividing a published article’s total citation number per year by the total number of research papers published in the same year.
7. CiteScore is evaluated by calculating the average number of papers received in a year to the past 3 years’ issued papers divided by the total number of research papers that the journal has published in those 3 years.

Considering the above factors, the best and the most appropriate journals to read and publish in can be determined. 

Top 20 Chemistry Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	SJR	SNIP	h-Index	Eigenfactor	Immediacy Index	CiteScore
Chemical Reviews	52.76	20.847	8.282	656	0.22	7.38	54.26
Nature Reviews Chemistry	34.953	15.610	7.526	33	0.01398	4.721	36.40
Chemical Society Reviews	42.846	14.490	8.282	471	0.25	7.60	67.10
Nature Materials	38.663	14.862	7.718	448	0.177380	9.616	63.30
Nature Chemistry	23.193	9.927	4.436	212	0.091920	6.522	38.20
Nano Futures	2.982	8.711	2.940	9	–	0.438	3.70
Accounts of Chemical Research	20.834	8.693	3.921	354	0.11	4.42	33.80
ACS Energy Letters	14.61	8.057	2.177	49	–	–	23.40
Journal of the American Chemical Society	14.612	6.976	2.682	542	0.82	2.61	24.80
Chem	11.53	6.144	3.124	34	0.02458	–	23.20
Advanced Functional Materials	16.836	5.875	2.450	269	0.13	2.23	22.00
Nano Letters	11.238	5.786	2.271	430	0.36	2.55	20.50
Small Methods	12.13	5.723	2.054	18	–	–	2.80
Nature Communications	12.121	5.569	2.805	248	1.25951	2.187	12.19
Angewandte Chemie – International Edition	12.959	5.48	2.132	523	0.53	2.61	11.68
ACS Central Science	12.873	4.964	2.027	55	–	–	8
ACS Catalysis	12.35	4.633	2.178	139	0.03	1.55	19.60
Surface Science Reports	17.800	4.154	4.239	111	0.00	–	26.50
Chemistry of Materials	9.567	3.971	1.803	337	–	–	17.10
npj 2D Materials and Applications	9.338	3.769	1.946	18	0.00275	1.059	8.70

 

1. Chemical Reviews

One of the Top 20 Chemistry Journals, Chemical Reviews is published by the American Chemical Society 2 times a month and is peer-reviewed. With the number 1 rank among all chemistry journals, Chemical Reviews publishes articles on all branches of Chemistry. It was started in 1924 by William Albert Noyes and in the year 2019 alone, there have been 200,014 citations from the journal.

• Abbreviation – CHEM REV
• ISSN – 0009-2665
• E-ISSN – 1520-6890
• Annual Article Volume – 209
• Competitiveness – Contributions are mostly invited
• Average peer-review duration – Approx. 4.3 months
• Open Access – No

2. Nature Reviews Chemistry

This is published by United Kingdom’s Nature Portfolio weekly. This is an online-only journal that covers all aspects of chemistry with comments, reviews, and perspectives published. The chief editor is Dr. Stephen Daley who aims on bringing not only the research papers and reviews to the journal’s readers but also educate beyond the academic environment.

• Abbreviation –NAT REV CHEM
• ISSN –2397-3358
• Annual Article Volume – 43
• Competitiveness – Article submissions are accepted
• Average peer-review duration – No data
• Open Access – No, except when the article is greatly beneficial to society

3. Chemical Society Reviews

One of the top 20 chemistry journals, Chemical Society Reviews is published by England’s Royal Society Chemistry. It is a biweekly publication that covers chemistry topics of current interest. They also produce reader-friendly review articles that have a high impact factor. With more than 50 years of history, the journal has Douglas Stephan as the current editor-in-chief.

• Abbreviation –CHEM SOC REV
• ISSN –0306-0012
• E-ISSN – 1460-4744
• Annual Article Volume –183
• Competitiveness – Contributions are mostly invited
• Average peer-review duration – Approx 6 months
• Open Access – No

4. Nature Materials

Nature Materials is published by United Kingdom’s Nature Publishing Group as a peer-reviewed journal. It was started in September 2002 as a journal majorly focused on material science and engineering. Structural materials such as metals and alloys are also topics that are included. The current editor-in-chief is Vincent Dusastre who also launched the journal.

• Abbreviation –NAT MATER
• ISSN – 1476-1122
• E-ISSN – 1476-4660
• Annual Article Volume – 162
• Competitiveness – 50%
• Average peer-review duration – Approx 5.4 months
• Open Access – No

5. Nature Chemistry

One of the top 20 Chemistry journals, Nature Chemistry is also published by the Nature Publishing Group as a peer-reviewed journal once every month. It was started in April 2009 and quickly grew to be a widely popular journal among authors and readers alike. Encompassing all aspects of chemistry, the journal focuses on providing high-quality articles. Stuart Cantrill is the journal’s editor-in-chief.

• Abbreviation – NAT CHEM
• ISSN – 1755-4330
• E-ISSN – 1755-4349
• Annual Article Volume – 124
• Competitiveness – Considered extremely tough
• Average peer-review duration – Approx 1 month
• Open Access – No

6. Nano Futures

Nano futures is published by IOPScience as a monthly journal. It is extremely new and covers multidisciplinary aspects of chemistry by publishing high-impact articles on basic and applied chemistry. Professor Mark Reed is the editor-in-chief of the journal Nature Reviews.

• Abbreviation – NANO FUTURES
• ISSN – 2399-1984
• Annual Article Volume – 16
• Competitiveness – No data
• Average peer-review duration – Approx 1.6 month
• Open Access – No

7. Accounts of Chemical Research

One of the top 20 Chemistry journals, Accounts of Chemical Research is published by the American Chemical Society as a peer-reviewed journal once every month. It publishes artic less on chemistry and biochemistry covering both basic and applied aspects. It was started in 1968. The editor-in-chief of Accounts of Chemical Research is Cynthia J. Burrows.

• Abbreviation – ACCOUNTS CHEM RES
• ISSN – 0001-4842
• E-ISSN – 1520-4898
• Annual Article Volume – 324
• Competitiveness – Extremely tough
• Average peer-review duration –Ordinary, Approx. 3-6 weeks
• Open Access – No

8. ACS Energy Letters

ACS Energy Letters is published by ACS Publications with me of the most rapid publishing times. It is an online-only journal that majorly covers energy research pertaining to the field of chemistry. The editor-in-chief of this high-impact unique chemistry journal is Prashant V. Kamath.

• Abbreviation – ACS ENERGY LETT
• ISSN – 2380-8195
• Annual Article Volume – 349
• Competitiveness – No information
• Average peer-review duration – No information
• Open Access – No

9. Journal of the American Chemical Society

One of the top 20 Chemistry journals, The Journal of the American Chemical Society is as the name suggests, published by the American Chemical Society as a peer-reviewed journal that is published weekly. It was started way back in 1879 and has since published thousands of high-impact articles and has also absorbed two other journals – the American Chemical Journal and the Journal of Analytical and Applied Chemistry. The editor-in-chief is currently Peter J. Stang

• Abbreviation – J AM CHEM SOC
• ISSN – 0002-7863
• E-ISSN – 1520-5126
• Annual Article Volume – 2507
• Competitiveness – 60%
• Average peer-review duration – Approx 1.9 months
• Open Access – No

10. Chem

Chem is a sister-journal to Cell published by Cell Press of the United States. It establishes the impact of fundamental chemistry research by providing insightful articles. It also focuses on the worldwide goals of sustainable development and efficient energy use. The editor-in-chief is Robert Eagling.

• Abbreviation – CHEM-US
• ISSN – 2451-9294
• Annual Article Volume – 173
• Competitiveness – No information
• Average peer-review duration – No information
• Open Access – No

11. Advanced Functional Materials

One of the top 20 Chemistry journals, Advanced Functional Materials is published by Wiley-VHC which is an online library for the scientific community. It is a peer-reviewed journal that is published weekly. It started in February 2001 as a monthly journal. It contains papers functional materials used in scientific research and industry. The editor-in-chief is Joern Ritterbusch.

• Abbreviation – ADV FUNCT MATER
• ISSN – 1616-301X
• Annual Article Volume – 1382
• Competitiveness – 25%
• Average peer-review duration – Approx. 2.9 months
• Open Access – No

12. Nano Letters

Nano Letters is published by the American Chemical Society as a peer-reviewed journal that is published monthly. It was started in January 2001 as a scientific journal that covers all the aspects of nanosciences including nanotechnology and its branches. The editor-in-chief is Teri W. Odom.

• Abbreviation – NANO LETT
• ISSN – 1530-6984
• E-ISSN – 1530-6992
• Annual Article Volume – 1160
• Competitiveness – 50%
• Average peer-review duration – Approx. 1.3 months
• Open Access – No

13. Small Methods 

One of the top 20 chemistry journals, Small Methods is published by Wiley Online Library and was started in the year 2017. It is published in the United Kingdom as a journal focusing on the significant advances made in the chemical sciences. It has an OnlineOpen website where one can download open-access articles. The editor-in-chief is Guangchen Xu.

• Abbreviation – SMALL METHODS
• ISSN – 2366-9608
• Annual Article Volume – No information
• Competitiveness – No information
• Average peer-review duration – No information
• Open Access – No

14. Nature Communications

Nature Communications is published by Nature Research Group as a peer-reviewed journal twice in a month. The journals covers topics of chemistry, biology, physics, health, and Earth sciences. It is an open-access journal that was started in 2010. The editor-in-chief is Niki Scaplehorn.

• Abbreviation – Nat
• ISSN – 2041-1723
• Annual Article Volume – 5469
• Competitiveness – 66%
• Average peer-review duration – Approx 2 months
• Open Access – Yes

15. Angewandte Chemie – International Edition

One of the top 20 Chemistry journals, Angewandte Chemie – International Edition is published by Wiley-VCH as a peer-reviewed journal once a week. The journal is published on behalf of the German Chemical Society and was started in 1962 in English. The editor-in-chief of this journal is Neville Compton.

• Abbreviation – Angew. Chem. Int.
• ISSN – 1433-7851
• Annual Article Volume – 2697
• Competitiveness – 28%
• Average peer-review duration – Approx 1.7 months
• Open Access – No

16. ACS Central Science

ACS Central Science is published by ACS Publications as a peer-reviewed journal once a month. It is a journal mainly about the chemistry that explores the biological and physical aspects of the field. It was started in the year 2015 and has since published high-impact articles. The editor-in-chief is Carolyn Bertozzi.

• Abbreviation – ACS CENTRAL SCI
• ISSN – 2374-7943
• Annual Article Volume – 184
• Competitiveness – No information
• Average peer-review duration – No information
• Open Access – Yes

17. ACS Catalysis

One of the top 20 Chemistry journals, ACS Catalysis is published by the American Chemical Society as a peer-reviewed journal every month. The online journal publishes articles that are mainly on biocatalysis, heterogeneous catalysis, and homogenous catalysis. It was started in 2011 with the current and interim editor-in-chief of the journal being Prof. T. Brent Gunnoe.

• Abbreviation – ACS CATAL
• ISSN –2155-5435
  
• Annual Article Volume – 1155
• Competitiveness – 66%
• Average peer-review duration – Approx. 1 month
• Open Access – No

18. Surface Science Reports

Surface Science Reports is published by Elsevier (North-Holland) as a peer-reviewed journal. The scientific journal publishes articles that lay emphasis on the physical and chemical properties of surfaces. It was started in 1981 and has grown to also cover the reviewing of other journals such as Surface science Letters and Surface Science. The editor-in-chief is H-P. Steinrück.

• Abbreviation – SURF SCI REP
• ISSN – 0167-5729
• Annual Article Volume – 6
• Competitiveness – Very difficult, deemed 100%
• Average peer-review duration – Approx 1 week, can even be 6 months
• Open Access – No

19. Chemistry of Materials

One of the top 20 Chemistry journals, Chemistry of Materials is published by the American Chemical Society as a peer-reviewed journal published twice every week. It was started in 1989 by Leonard V. Interrante as a scientific journal focused on publishing articles about material science and fundamental chemistry research. The current editor-in-chief is Prof. Sara Skrabalak.

• Abbreviation – CHEM MATER
• ISSN – 0897-4756
• Annual Article Volume – 1041
• Competitiveness – 75%
• Average peer-review duration – Approx 2 months
• Open Access – No

20. npj 2D Materials and Applications

npj 2D Materials and Applications is published by Nature Research publications as an open-access journal that was started in 2017. The journal publishes research papers of high quality and impact, emphasizing on the properties of 2D materials including their synthesis, fundamental nature, and applications. The editor-in-chief of this online-only journal is Professor Andras Kis.

• Abbreviation – NPJ 2D MATER APPL
• ISSN – 2397-7132
• Annual Article Volume – 51
• Competitiveness – Moderate
• Average peer-review duration – Approx 6 months
• Open Access – Yes

As a student or a professional in science, scientific journals hold tremendous value and significance in one’s life. It ensures that one’s knowledge of their chosen subject grows steadily and enables them to strive harder for success in the scientific community. We hope that this top 20 Chemistry journals list helps you out in the best ways.