Last Updated on July 16, 2026 by Dr. Bhagat
JOURNAL METRICS·Updated June 2026
Science Advances Impact Factor 2025
Science Advances Impact Factor 2025 is 12.1 (Q1, Multidisciplinary Sciences, SCIE). Launched in 2015 as AAAS’s open-access answer to the rising demand for transparent, peer-reviewed science publishing, the journal has cemented itself as a premier Q1 venue across all disciplines.
AAAS OPEN ACCESSWhat Science Advances Represents in 2025
Science Advances is the flagship open-access journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), launched in 2015 to complement the prestigious Science family. Where Science proper maintains a traditional subscription model with limited open-access pathways, Science Advances was built from the ground up as a gold open-access publication. This distinction matters enormously for authors funded by Plan S mandates, NIH requirements, or Wellcome Trust policies that demand immediate public availability of research outputs.
The 2025 Impact Factor of 12.1 places Science Advances firmly in the top quartile of all multidisciplinary science journals. For context, this positions it among the most cited open-access-only journals globally, rivaling established subscription-heavy competitors. The metric reflects not merely volume but breadth, articles published here span life sciences, physical sciences, earth sciences, and engineering, creating a citation ecosystem that few specialty journals can match.
METRIC CONTEXTUnderstanding the Numbers Behind the Journal
Journal metrics never exist in isolation. The Impact Factor of 12.1 is derived from the 2023-2024 citation window divided by citable items published in 2023-2024, following Clarivate’s standard calculation methodology. What makes Science Advances notable is how this figure has stabilized in the low-double-digit range, suggesting the journal has found its equilibrium as a reliable, high-impact venue rather than experiencing the volatility common to younger open-access titles.
The CiteScore of 18.2, derived from Scopus data over a four-year window, runs higher than the two-year Impact Factor. This pattern typically indicates that Science Advances papers accumulate citations over a longer timeframe, a hallmark of research with durable relevance. The SJR (SCImago Journal Rank) of 4.8 confirms that citations to Science Advances come from other prestigious journals, not merely low-tier titles seeking to pad their reference lists.
| Metric | Value | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Impact Factor | 12.1 | JCR 2025 (Clarivate) |
| 5-Year Impact Factor | ~13.5 | JCR 2025 estimate |
| CiteScore | 18.2 | Scopus 2025 |
| SJR | 4.8 | SCImago 2025 |
| h-index | 280 | Google Scholar / SCImago |
| ISSN | 2375-2548 | AAAS |
| Publisher | AAAS | — |
| Established | 2015 | — |
| Category | Multidisciplinary Sciences | JCR Q1 |
| Access Model | Gold Open Access | CC-BY default |
Key Takeaways
- Science Advances carries a 2025 Impact Factor of 12.1, confirmed by the June 2026 Clarivate JCR release.
- Ranked Q1 in Multidisciplinary Sciences, it is the premier open-access journal of the AAAS family.
- Launched in 2015, the journal has rapidly reached an h-index of 280, an extraordinary trajectory for a decade-old publication.
- The CiteScore (18.2) exceeds the IF, suggesting Science Advances articles gain citations steadily over multi-year windows.
- Authors pay an APC but receive true gold open access with immediate PubMed Central deposition and broad disciplinary readership.
COMPARISONHow Science Advances Stacks Against Peers
In the increasingly crowded open-access landscape, Science Advances competes directly with Nature Communications (IF ~16), PNAS (IF ~9.5), and Cell Reports (IF ~7.7). Its 12.1 figure situates it between the high-volume Nature Communications model and the more selective PNAS route. Unlike Scientific Reports, which accepts on soundness alone, Science Advances applies a significance filter similar to its parent Science journal, ensuring that the Impact Factor reflects not just volume but editorial selectivity.
FREQUENTLY ASKEDCommon Questions About Science Advances Metrics
What is the Science Advances Impact Factor for 2025?
The 2025 Impact Factor is 12.1, as reported in the June 2026 Clarivate Journal Citation Reports release. This represents a stable position in Q1 for Multidisciplinary Sciences.
Is Science Advances a Q1 journal?
Yes. Science Advances ranks in the first quartile (Q1) of the Multidisciplinary Sciences category in JCR, and holds similarly high quartile rankings in Scopus-based metrics.
How does Science Advances compare to Nature Communications?
Nature Communications typically carries a higher Impact Factor (~16), but publishes substantially more articles per year. Science Advances offers a more selective editorial pathway with the prestige of the AAAS brand behind it.
What is the APC for publishing in Science Advances?
As of 2026, the Article Processing Charge (APC) for Research Articles and Reviews is approximately $4,500 USD. AAAS members may receive discounts. Check the official AAAS website for current rates.
Is Science Advances indexed in PubMed?
Yes. All Science Advances articles are deposited in PubMed Central (PMC) and indexed in MEDLINE/PubMed immediately upon publication, satisfying NIH and most funder open-access requirements.
