How to Find Q1 and Q2 Journals in Web of Science 2026

November 7, 2025

Web of science journal

Publishing an article in a Web of Science indexed journal is a great achievement for a researcher, student, and professional. It means more visibility, greater recognition, and more citations for your work. Most of the scholars or authors are looking forward to publish their work in top journals and thus they search for q1 scopus indexed journals or q1 scopus indexed journals list. But when it comes to Web of Science, the ranking system works in its own structured and highly trusted way.

If your goal is to publish in high-quality journals, then focusing on the Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 journal list Web of Science is one of the smartest moves you can make. However, one must realize that the Web of Science quartile ranking does not match with the Scopus. Web of Science has no journal ranking by CiteScore as Scopus does, but refers to Impact Factor through its Journal Citation Reports (JCR) product. This would then indicate if someone is searching for a Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 journal list Web of Science 2026 you should  look at JCR.

In this article, we will help you find q1 and q2 journals in Web Of Science.

What is Web of Science Quartile Ranking 

Quartiles help tell you how strong a journal is relative to other journals in the same field of study. There are subject indexes in Web of Science too, including Engineering, Business Medicine, Computer Science and Environmental Studies among others. -Within each subject category, journals are sorted on their Impact Factor. The quartile is defined based on the journal ranking within each subject category.

Q1 journal in one category might have quite another IF comparing to the Q1 journal in other category. That’s why a search in Web of Science always must be carried out by selecting the correct subject area, and not just by looking at the total score. Many a researcher gets lost when they see a journal as Q1 in one field and Q2 in another — but that’s perfectly normal for Web of Science ranking.

Why Web of Science Is More Trusted Than Random Journal Lists

Most new researchers will search for a downloadable file called Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 journal list Web of Science 2026 over the internet on different websites. But not everything that is available online in the form of spreadsheets can be considered official, updated or original work. Only Web of Science through Journal Citation Reports gives you:

• Quartile ranking as given by the database owner itself
• Real Impact Factor with worldwide recognition
• Category-wise performance ranking
• Checked indexing status (no fake or predatory journals)
• Updates per year so that the stats are not outdated

This means that as you compile your list of target journals on the Web of Science, there is an increased probability that a paper will be discovered by universities, funding bodies, thesis committees, hiring committees and global research communities. We cannot build that level of trust on the basis of random lists which include things like Scopus Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4, which is part of a different indexing service.

How to Find Q1 and Q2 Journals in Web of Science

First, log in Sign in via your university or library, or if you have a personal subscription sign up with your credentials and then open Web of Science. Then find Journal Citation Reports (JCR) — the actual source websites to take out Impact Factor, rankings and quartiles.

Once in JCR, select the subject area which is most appropriate to your area of study. It is very important because Web of Science does not give a journal one single world quartile — it gives an accurate world rankings among the thematic sets. This is why some users, when searching for Q1,Q2 journals Scopus, think the ranking logic is equivalent to Web of Science but find out later it steps in different way.

Once you have your category chosen, sort the list of journals by highest to lowest Impact Factor. The top 25% immediately go into Q1 and the second 25% falls within Q2. The quartile is generally presented next to each journal in JCR, so there is no need for manual calculation. This is important whenever they request a pronouncement Web of Science Q1, Q2, Q3, or Q4 journal list; in fact the system creates it taking into account one’s output so no-one has to trust inferred variables.

When you find Q1 and Q2 journals in the list, always write down journal information (journal title/ ISSN / Impact Factor / subject category) along with the year ability ranking. It will come in handy when you start filling forms for PhD applications, faculty hiring, grants, funding proposals and academic promotion.

What are Other Ways to Find Q1 and Q2 Journals in Web of Science

Apart from the standard Web of Science search tools, here are more ways to discover high-impact Q1 and Q2 journals.

Explore top cited researchers in your field

To find Web of Science Q1 and Q2 journals check which researchers are “top-cited” in your field. You could just search by name in google scholar, research gate, ORCiD or Web of science author profiles to see the latest publications by them. When you open these published papers, look at the journal names and take note: You may see repeat high-impact titles.

Check publishers known for high-impact Web of Science journals

There are global academic publishers, many with long-established journal portfolios and that already appear indexed in WoS, and many in the Q1&Q2 categories. You can navigate journals sections via reputable publishers like Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, Taylor & Francis and the Sage Journals online or IEEE Xplore and Emerald. These publishers have rigorous quality-control standards, robust peer-review processes and high editorial integrity – their journals therefore tend to have higher Q1 q2 q3 q4 journal list web of science impact factor.

How to Validate if a Journal Is Truly Indexed in Web of Science

Many websites falsely mention top rankings using unrelated terms like q1 scopus indexed journals list, which confuses researchers who actually want verified Web of Science journals. To confirm authenticity, always check these directly inside Web of Science:

• The journal has to be listed in Web of Science Core Collection
• It must have a valid Impact Factor in JCR
• It should have a quartile category (Q1, Q2, Q3 or Q4)
• It falls into at least one subject category
• It should not be listed on a list of predatory publishers

If any of this information is missing, the journal is not officially a Web of Science ranked journal.

Closing Words 

Finding the right journal doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. When you understand how Web of Science ranks publications and explore smart ways to identify Q1 and Q2 journals, you give your research the visibility and credibility it deserves. Publishing in a strong Web of Science journal can open doors to global recognition, better citations, research collaborations, career growth, and academic success.

So, use our tips to find the Q1 and Q2 journals in Web of Science journals. It helps you a lot in publishing papers in the best global journals and increasing your reach. Also, you can consider Scopus quartiles Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 for your paper.