Do Immediate-Impact Social Science Journals Exist? an Analysis of the Relationship between Three Citation-Based Indicators

This study identified six types of journals indexed in the Social Science Citation Index (social sciences) and the Science Citation Index Expanded (natural sciences) from Journal Citation Reports years 2011–20. The interrelationships between the journal impact factor (JIF), 5-year impact factor (5-Year IF), and immediacy index (II) were analyzed, with results confirming that most social and natural science journals had indicator values following the pattern 5-Year IF > JIF > II. However, the proportion of these ‘typical’ journals steadily declined over the study period. Notably, a subset of social science journals displayed an atypical citation pattern, with II values exceeding both their JIF and 5-Year IF. This challenges the conventional belief that immediate-impact journals are nonexistent in the social sciences because of typically delayed citation patterns in related disciplines. Future research should focus on the characteristics of these immediate-impact journals to uncover the factors driving their rapid citation uptake.