Last Updated on July 16, 2026 by Dr. Bhagat
JOURNAL METRICS·Updated June 2026
JACS Impact Factor 2025
JACS Impact Factor 2025 is 16.2 (Q1, Chemistry, ACS). Founded in 1879, the Journal of the American Chemical Society is the flagship journal of the American Chemical Society and the most respected venue for original chemistry research across all subdisciplines.
CHEMISTRY’S CORNERSTONEJACS and the ACS Legacy
Since 1879, the Journal of the American Chemical Society (ISSN: 0002-7863) has been the standard-bearer for chemistry publishing. As the flagship journal of the ACS, JACS publishes original research of exceptional significance across the full spectrum of chemistry: organic, inorganic, physical, analytical, theoretical, and biological. Its 16.2 Impact Factor, combined with an extraordinary h-index of 625, testifies to over a century of publishing chemistry that defines the field.
HISTORICAL DATAA Century and a Half of Impact
| Year | Impact Factor | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 12.2 | → |
| 2021 | 12.8 | ↑ |
| 2022 | 13.5 | ↑ |
| 2023 | 14.9 | ↑ |
| 2024 | 15.4 | ↑ |
| 2025 | 16.2 | ↑ |
JACS has grown from 12.2 to 16.2 in just five years, a notable acceleration for a journal with such a long history. This reflects both the expansion of chemistry into new frontiers (synthetic biology, materials chemistry, energy science) and the journal’s editorial adaptation to publish at the interfaces between traditional chemistry subdisciplines.
RESEARCH FOCUSWhat JACS Publishes
JACS publishes Articles, Communications, Perspectives, and Viewpoints. The editorial standard is exceptionally high: a JACS communication typically reports a conceptual or methodological breakthrough that commands the immediate attention of the global chemistry community. The journal’s scope spans organic and inorganic chemistry, materials and nanoscience, catalysis, electrochemistry, chemical biology, theoretical and computational chemistry, and environmental chemistry.
Key Takeaways
- JACS Impact Factor 2025 is 16.2, ranked Q1 in Chemistry.
- An h-index of 625 makes it one of the most historically influential journals in any field.
- Published by the American Chemical Society since 1879, it is chemistry’s flagship journal.
- CiteScore of 22.8 confirms dominance across Scopus metrics as well.
CITATION METRICSCiteScore and SJR in Context
Scopus records a CiteScore of 22.8 and an SJR of 5.1 for JACS. The CiteScore’s four-year window captures the journal’s large back-catalog of highly cited methodology papers that continue generating citations years after publication. Synthetic methods published in JACS, in particular, become standard techniques adopted across the chemical sciences, creating enduring citation streams.
IF METHODOLOGYHow the Impact Factor Is Calculated
The Impact Factor divides citations received in 2025 by citable items published in 2023–2024. JACS publishes a very large volume of articles annually, so the 16.2 represents an average across thousands of contributions. Individual breakthrough papers may attract hundreds of citations, while more specialized contributions attract fewer, balancing to the overall average.
FAQFrequently Asked Questions
What is the JACS Impact Factor 2025?
The 2025 Impact Factor is 16.2, placing it in Q1 for Chemistry.
Who publishes JACS?
The journal is published by the ACS (ACS).
Is JACS better than Angewandte Chemie?
Both are elite. Angewandte Chemie typically has a slightly higher IF, but JACS’s broader scope and larger volume give it greater total citation output.
What is the acceptance rate?
Highly competitive. JACS accepts only manuscripts reporting conceptual or methodological breakthroughs of broad interest to the chemistry community.
Does JACS charge publication fees?
ACS offers both subscription and open-access options. APCs apply for open-access publication.