MechanicsWhy CA Has the World’s Highest Impact Factor

The number looks impossible until you remember how the Impact Factor is calculated: total citations in a year to the previous two years’ articles, divided by the number of those articles.

CA publishes very few articles, and the ones it does publish — above all the annual Cancer Statistics review — are cited thousands of times across oncology. A tiny denominator beneath an enormous citation numerator produces a score in the hundreds.

World rankingHow It Compares to the Other Giants

Even among the most prestigious journals on earth, CA stands alone — its Impact Factor is several times that of the next titles on the global list:

BenchmarkWhy CA Is a Poor Benchmark for Ordinary Journals

Because its score is driven by a unique publishing model, CA should never be used as a yardstick for “normal” journals. A 5-10 Impact Factor is excellent in most fields. Comparing an ordinary research journal to CA is meaningless.

OncologyQuartile and Category Standing

In the Oncology category, CA sits comfortably in the top tier (Q1). It is indexed in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) within Web of Science, which is the collection that feeds the Journal Impact Factor.

Scope & accessShould You Submit to CA?

For most researchers, CA is not a typical submission target. It publishes authoritative, largely commissioned reviews and statistical reports aimed at clinicians, rather than unsolicited primary research. If you work in cancer epidemiology or clinical oncology, the realistic path is to read and cite it; original research usually belongs in specialist oncology journals.

At a glanceKey Facts

ContextWhy CA’s Impact Factor Is So Extraordinarily High

CA’s Impact Factor of 685.2 is not typical of medical journals. It results from a unique publishing model. The journal publishes only about 20-30 articles per year, but many are the highly-cited Cancer Statistics annual reports, which routinely accumulate thousands of citations. With so few articles in the denominator and massive citation counts in the numerator, the ratio becomes exceptionally large.

By comparison, Nature publishes thousands of articles annually, spreading its citations across a much larger base. CA is therefore not directly comparable to general research journals — it operates in a category of its own.

Pro TipsHow to Interpret CA’s Metrics as a Researcher

1. Do not target CA for routine submissions. CA publishes review articles and statistical reports by invitation only. Original research submissions are not accepted.

2. Cite CA articles where relevant. The Cancer Statistics reports are authoritative sources for epidemiological data and are expected citations in oncology research.

3. Use CA to understand citation dynamics. The journal demonstrates how publishing models affect metrics. A small, highly-cited article set produces very different numbers than a large, general-interest journal.

4. Compare within categories. When evaluating oncology journals, compare CA against Journal of Clinical Oncology or The Lancet Oncology for a fairer benchmark.

FAQFrequently Asked Questions

Is CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians a predatory journal?

No. CA is published by the American Cancer Society in partnership with Wiley. It is one of the most respected and longest-running oncology review journals, established in 1950.

Can I submit my research to CA?

CA does not accept unsolicited original research. It publishes review articles, statistical reports, and special features by editorial invitation only.

Why is CA’s Impact Factor higher than Nature and Science combined?

Because CA publishes very few articles (approximately 20-30 per year), and many are the Cancer Statistics reports that accumulate thousands of citations. The Impact Factor is a ratio of citations to articles — with a tiny denominator, the ratio becomes very large.

What is the acceptance rate for CA?

The acceptance rate is extremely low, estimated at under 5%. Most content is commissioned by the editorial board rather than submitted through regular channels.

Is CA indexed in Scopus and PubMed?

Yes, CA is indexed in Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, and the Web of Science Core Collection. It is also ranked Q1 in Oncology by all major indexing services.