I want to identify the best journal. To do this, I found three websites namely 1.SCImago Journal & Country Rank portal, 2. Web of Science, 3. Academic Journal Guide (AJG), also known as the “ABS list”. But I am in dilemma which one is the most accepted? May I able to mix any two for journal selection?
There is no such thing like "the best journal". All measures have a limited meaning, and all are calculated on limited data. None of the platforms use complete datasets of citations etc., and not all platforms are independent ones. Platforms maintained by publishers give preference to their own journals. Generally, I think that the hunt for high ranking and citation measures is doing harm to science. Journals have also other qualities besides their impact factors. See also this discussion: https://www.researchgate.net/post/Publishing_only_in_the_journals_with_high_impact_factors_or_publishing_good_papers_no_matter_IF_or_no_IF_journal_and_achieving_high_citation_score2 .
Thank you Dr. Dick and Dr. Walaa Yakoub for enriching my understanding.
There are indeed multiple metrics you can use.
Linas is correct in that WOS is highly regarded. Of increasing influence are also the Scopus CiteScore metrics. They are used, for example, to inform the Times Higher rankings of institutions.
ABS (and similar, eg ABDC) rankings are hybrids: partly driven by so-called expert reviews, partly determined by citation scores.
I would have a look at all of them and try to arrive at a balanced viewpoint. Most of the top journals have strong ratings in all of them.
"The" impact factor is the one calculated by Clarivate/Web of Science, that is also the impact factor that serious publishers put on their websites.
Apart from that, the comments by Wolfgang R. Dick are very true.
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