Top 20 Nursing Journals of 2022

Whether you are trying to decide where to publish your research findings, searching for a thought-provoking publication to share at journal club, or simply interested in exploring the latest literature, this article is likely to help you to achieve your aims. We have outlined the rankings of the best journals from the field of Nursing according to impact factor, Google’s h5-index, and the scoring system of the research group SCImago.

Note that this article focuses on the “general” rankings of scientific journals related to Nursing. If you would prefer to consider the rankings of journals dedicated to particular sub-topics within the field, such as oncology nursing or critical care nursing, then this article may not satisfy your needs.

If the accessibility of a journal is of importance to you, keep in mind that the journals we have listed may not have open access status.

Historically, quantitative metrics such as impact factor have provided an objective method for comparing the relative influence and prestige of competing journals. However, the quality of a journal should be assessed holistically and not be based on metrics alone.

In addition to considering the data in this article, we encourage you to visit the website of each journal where you can learn about its purpose and scope, editorial board and practices, and detailed metrics beyond impact factor, which will better inform your search.

Google ranks scientific journals using the h5-index, an index that considers publications in the journal over the past 5 years and that is intended to take into account both the number and quality of publications.

Google’s h5-index value is calculated to maximize both the number of published papers and the number of citations. According to wikipedia, the “h-index is defined as the maximum value of h such that the given author/journal has published h papers that have each been cited at least h times.”

SCImago, a data science and visualization research group from Spain, has also ranked the top journals in Nursing. Their most recent release is for the year 2021.

The SCImago Journal Ranking (SJR) considers not only the number of citations but also the relative prestige of the citation sources, with greater rank enhancement provided by citations from high prestige journals. The SJR is normalized to 1 with an SJR greater than 1 indicating “above average” citation potential.

Data regarding the impact factor of each journal represents the current two-year impact factor as identified by the Journal Citation Reports. Check out our article on the history, definition, and implications of impact factor for more information on the metric.

Interested in learning how to improve the quality of your manuscript? Consider reading “How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper” (affiliate link) by Robert Day and Barbara Gastel. This engaging text has been described as “[required reading] for anybody embarking on a career in science” and “important guidance” even for accomplished scientists.

Top 20 Nursing Journals Ranked by Google (2022)

1. International Journal of Nursing Studies – h5-index: 75
2. Nurse Education Today – h5-index: 68
3. Journal of Clinical Nursing – h5-index: 59
4. Journal of Advanced Nursing – h5-index: 58
5. Journal of Nursing Management – h5-index: 53
6. Nurse Education in Practice – h5-index: 48
7. Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem – h5-index: 45
8. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem – h5-index: 45
9. Applied Nursing Research – h5-index: 43
10. Journal of Nursing Scholarship – h5-index: 42
11. Nursing Ethics – h5-index: 40
12. BMC Nursing – h5-index: 40
13. Clinical Simulation in Nursing – h5-index: 39
14. European Journal of Cancer Care – h5-index: 39
15. Journal of Pediatric Nursing – h5-index: 39
16. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences – h5-index: 39
17. Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP – h5-index: 38
18. Nursing Outlook – h5-index: 36
19. Journal of Wound Care – h5-index: 36
20. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing – h5-index: 36

Top 20 Nursing Journals Ranked by SCImago (2021)

1. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association – Journal Ranking: 2.023
2. Clinical and Translational Immunology – Journal Ranking: 1.771
3. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management – Journal Ranking: 1.527
4. International Journal of Nursing Studies – Journal Ranking: 1.470
5. Nurse Education Today – Journal Ranking: 0.993
6. Journal of Nursing Scholarship – Journal Ranking: 0.972
7. Journal of Palliative Medicine – Journal Ranking: 0.954
8. Patient Journal – Journal Ranking: 0.896
9. Clinical Simulation in Nursing – Journal Ranking: 0.865
10. International Nursing Review – Journal Ranking: 0.856
11. Journal of Clinical Nursing – Journal Ranking: 0.831
12. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing – Journal Ranking: 0.787
13. Nurse Education in Practice – Journal Ranking: 0.775
14. Journal of Advanced Nursing – Journal Ranking: 0.774
15. Journal of School Nursing – Journal Ranking: 0.741
16. Journal of Religion and Health – Journal Ranking: 0.740
17. International Journal of Nursing Sciences – Journal Ranking: 0.736
18. Nursing Outlook – Journal Ranking: 0.735
19. Palliative and Supportive Care – Journal Ranking: 0.724
20. Symbolic Interaction – Journal Ranking: 0.697

Top 50 Nursing Journals Ranked by Impact Factor (2022)

1. Journal of Clinical Nursing – Impact Factor: 3.036
2. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing – Impact Factor: 2.952
3. Journal of Tissue Viability – Impact Factor: 2.932
4. Worldviews on Evidence-based Nursing – Impact Factor: 2.931
5. Nursing Ethics – Impact Factor: 2.874
6. International Nursing Review – Impact Factor: 2.871
7. Journal of School Nursing – Impact Factor: 2.835
8. Australian Critical Care – Impact Factor: 2.737
9. Cancer Nursing – Impact Factor: 2.592
10. Collegian – Impact Factor: 2.573
11. Biological Research for Nursing – Impact Factor: 2.522
12. European Journal of Cancer Care – Impact Factor: 2.520
13. Asia-pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing – Impact Factor: 2.509
14. European Journal of Oncology Nursing – Impact Factor: 2.398
15. Nursing Inquiry – Impact Factor: 2.393
16. Clinical Simulation in Nursing – Impact Factor: 2.391
17. Journal of Midwifery and Womens Health – Impact Factor: 2.388
18. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association – Impact Factor: 2.385
19. Nursing Research – Impact Factor: 2.381
20. Midwifery – Impact Factor: 2.372
21. Geriatric Nursing – Impact Factor: 2.361
22. Advances in Skin and Wound Care – Impact Factor: 2.347
23. Nursing in Critical Care – Impact Factor: 2.325
24. Seminars in Oncology Nursing – Impact Factor: 2.315
25. BMC Nursing – Impact Factor: 2.283
26. Nurse Education in Practice – Impact Factor: 2.281
27. Applied Nursing Research – Impact Factor: 2.257
28. Research in Nursing and Health – Impact Factor: 2.228
29. American Journal of Critical Care – Impact Factor: 2.228
30. American Journal of Nursing – Impact Factor: 2.220
31. Journal of Human Lactation – Impact Factor: 2.219
32. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing – Impact Factor: 2.218
33. Heart and Lung – Impact Factor: 2.210
34. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care – Impact Factor: 2.186
35. Oncology Nursing Forum – Impact Factor: 2.172
36. Journal of Pediatric Nursing-nursing Care of Children and Families – Impact Factor: 2.145
37. International Emergency Nursing – Impact Factor: 2.142
38. International Journal of Older People Nursing – Impact Factor: 2.115

Interested in learning about the rankings of journals from other fields? Consider checking out our other journal rankings.

Read about the latest immunology research and immuno-biotech news from ImmunoFrontiers.