Guide
How to Read Journal Rankings: System, Edition and Category
Understand the CAS Journal Ranking and JCR quartiles, their editions, and major versus minor categories, so different rankings are never mixed into one number.
Last updated:Ranking systems are not interchangeable
Clarivate's JCR quartiles and the editions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Journal Ranking serve different evaluation settings. Before comparing journals, confirm which system and which year a figure comes from.
JournalCompass keeps the 2026, 2025 and 2023 CAS editions apart instead of folding several sources into one vague "zone".
Major and minor categories answer different questions
A major-category zone places a journal within a broad field; a minor-category zone is closer to a specific discipline. The same journal can sit in different zones in different minor categories.
An old edition is not today's verdict
Earlier editions show how a journal has moved, but they should not be presented as its current zone. Before submitting or reporting a publication, confirm which edition your institution uses.