The Journal Citation Reports (JCR) 2026, released on 17 June 2026, has published the latest Journal Impact Factor (JIF) rankings for research journals worldwide. These rankings are widely used by researchers, and faculty members to identify the most influential journals in medicine.
In addition, the latest Scopus CiteScore 2025 metrics were released on 5 June 2026. It provides another important indicator of journal performance and citation impact.
Publishing in a top-ranked medical journal offers several advantages such as Higher research visibility and Greater citation potential.
In this article, we present the Top 40 Medical Journals based on the latest Journal Impact Factor (JIF) released in the 2026 Journal Citation Reports.
Top 40 Medical Journals by Impact Factor (JCR 2026)
| 1 | Ca-A Cancer Journal for Clinicians | 15424863, 00079235 | John Wiley and Sons Inc | Q1 | 685.2 |
| 2 | LANCET | 01406736, 1474547X | Elsevier | Q1 | 109.0 |
| 3 | Nature Reviews Microbiology | 17401534, 17401526 | Nature Research | Q1 | 104.6 |
| 4 | MMWR Surveillance Summaries | 15458636, 15460738 | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) | Q1 | 96.9 |
| 5 | Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology | 17594782, 17594774 | Nature Publishing Group | Q1 | 94.6 |
| 6 | Nature Reviews Drug Discovery | 14741784, 14741776 | Nature Research | Q1 | 91.2 |
| 7 | New England Journal of Medicine | 00284793, 15334406 | Massachussetts Medical Society | Q1 | 84.5 |
| 8 | Annals of Oncology | 15698041, 09237534 | Elsevier Ltd | Q1 | 80.4 |
| 9 | Nature Reviews Disease Primers | 2056676X | Nature Publishing Group | Q1 | 79.8 |
| 10 | World Psychiatry | 20515545, 17238617 | John Wiley and Sons Inc | Q1 | 79.5 |
| 11 | JAMA-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION | Q1 | 65.4 | ||
| 12 | Nature Reviews Cancer | 1474175X, 14741768 | Nature Research | Q1 | 60.7 |
| 13 | Cancer Cell | 15356108, 18783686 | Cell Press | Q1 | 56.1 |
| 14 | BMJ-British Medical Journal | Q1 | 55.1 | ||
| 15 | Nature Reviews Methods Primers | 26628449 | Springer Nature | Q1 | 54.2 |
| 16 | Nature Medicine | 1546170X, 10788956 | Nature Research | Q1 | 52.5 |
| 17 | Nature Reviews Genetics | 14710056, 14710064 | Nature Research | Q1 | 51.4 |
| 18 | MMWR Recommendations and Reports | 10575987, 15458601 | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) | Q1 | 51.3 |
| 19 | Nature Reviews Cardiology | 17595010, 17595002 | Nature Research | Q1 | 50.2 |
| 20 | Journal of Hematology and Oncology | BMC | Q1 | 47.8 | |
| 21 | Nature Reviews Immunology | 14741741, 14741733 | Nature Research | Q1 | 47.1 |
| 22 | Nature Reviews Nephrology | 1759507X, 17595061 | Nature Research | Q1 | 46.7 |
| 23 | European Heart Journal | 15229645, 0195668X | Oxford University Press | Q1 | 45.3 |
| 24 | Journal of Clinical Oncology | 15277755, 0732183X | Lippincott Williams and Wilkins | Q1 | 44.7 |
| 25 | Nature Biotechnology | 15461696, 10870156 | Nature Research | Q1 | 44.5 |
| 26 | Molecular Cancer | 14764598 | BioMed Central Ltd | Q1 | 42.2 |
| 27 | Circulation | 00097322, 15244539 | Lippincott Williams and Wilkins | Q1 | 41.3 |
| 28 | Journal of Hepatology | 16000641, 01688278 | Elsevier B.V. | Q1 | 40.1 |
| 29 | Annual Review of Immunology | 15453278, 07320582 | Annual Reviews Inc. | Q1 | 39.8 |
| 30 | Nature Reviews Endocrinology | 17595037, 17595029 | Nature Publishing Group | Q1 | 39.1 |
| 31 | Physiological Reviews | 15221210, 00319333 | American Physiological Society | Q1 | 35.7 |
| 32 | Lancet Respiratory Medicine | Q1 | 34.7 | ||
| 33 | Lancet Respiratory Medicine | Q1 | 34.7 | ||
| 34 | Annual Review of Pathology: Mechanisms of Disease | 15534006, 15534014 | Annual Reviews Inc. | Q1 | 34.5 |
| 35 | Nature Reviews Rheumatology | 17594790, 17594804 | Nature Research | Q1 | 33.7 |
| 36 | Nature Reviews Neurology | 17594766, 17594758 | Nature Research | Q1 | 31.2 |
| 37 | Immunity | 10974180, 10747613 | Cell Press | Q1 | 30.6 |
| 38 | Gastroenterology | 15280012, 00165085 | W.B. Saunders | Q1 | 29.7 |
| 39 | Cancer Discovery | 21598274, 21598290 | American Association for Cancer Research Inc. | Q1 | 29.5 |
| 40 | European Urology | 18737560, 03022838 | Elsevier B.V. | Q1 | 29.1 |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians ranks first with an impressive Impact Factor of 685.2, according to the 2026 Journal Citation Reports.
higher Impact Factor generally indicates greater citation influence, but researchers should also consider the journal’s scope, audience, indexing, review process, and publication timeline.