Heliyon Impact Factor 2025 – Key Metrics and Journal Overview
As of June 2025, Heliyon holds an official impact factor of 3.6, according to Clarivate Analytics. This metric reflects the average number of citations received by articles published in the journal during the preceding two years.
How Has Heliyon's Impact Factor Changed in Recent Years?
Heliyon’s citation metrics have not followed a simple straight line. Instead, they reflect the journal’s broad multidisciplinary scope and a rising volume of submissions.
| Year | Impact Factor / Impact Score |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 3.4 (Wikipedia,Research) |
| 2024 | 4.32 (Scopus-based Impact Score,[Resurchify] (https://www.resurchify.com/impact/details/21100411756) |
| 2025 (Jun) | 3.6 (Clarivate IF, JournalSearches) |
The upward movement from 2023 to 2024 suggested growing citations, but the slight dip in 2025 underscores how journal metrics are sensitive to publication volume and the timing of citations. A multidisciplinary journal like Heliyon may see greater fluctuation than highly specialized titles — an important consideration if you judge quality solely by impact factor.
Scimago Journal Rank (SJR)
Heliyon has achieved a Scimago Journal Rank (SJR) of 0.644 for 2024, placing it in the Q1 quartile for multidisciplinary sciences (scimagojr.com). This indicates a high level of scientific influence and prestige within its field (research.com).
Heliyon Journal Scope
The journal covers a wide range of scientific disciplines, including:
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Medicine
- Environmental science
Its open-access model ensures research findings are freely available to the global scientific community, promoting knowledge dissemination and innovation.
Is Heliyon Considered a Good Journal?
Yes, Heliyon is widely indexed and respected, though it doesn’t carry the prestige of top-tier selective titles. It’s indexed in **Scopus, PubMed Central, Web of Science (ESCI)**, and DOAJ (Elsevier). It follows a fully open-access model under Elsevier, which attracts a large volume of submissions from all over the world.
For researchers in biomedical sciences, its reputation is solid but not elite. The broad scope — covering life sciences, physical sciences, health sciences, and more — sometimes makes it less focused than field-specific journals. Yet, its rigorous peer review and transparent editorial policies have helped it avoid being labeled as predatory, even though some skeptics occasionally question mega-journals with high acceptance rates.
What About Publication Fees?
Heliyon charges an Article Processing Charge (APC) of about USD 1,750–2,000 (Elsevier Author Services. This is fairly standard for open-access journals under large publishers. Waivers or discounts are sometimes available for authors from low- and middle-income countries, but they must be applied for during submission.
If you’re wondering whether the fee buys quality, the answer is nuanced: it funds open-access publishing and editorial work, but acceptance still depends on passing peer review.
Is Heliyon a Predatory Journal?
No. Heliyon is published by Elsevier, one of the largest academic publishers, and it is indexed in major databases, which is a key marker of legitimacy. Predatory journals typically lack indexing in Web of Science or Scopus and avoid rigorous peer review. Heliyon, in contrast, uses editorial boards across disciplines and maintains COPE membership to ensure ethical publishing practices.
Why Does the Impact Factor Fluctuate?
Impact factors are not static. They depend on two main variables:
- Number of citable articles published
- Number of citations those articles receive in a given window
Heliyon publishes a **large number of papers per year (over 7,000 in 2023 alone)**, which means a few low-cited articles can quickly lower the average. Conversely, if certain topics — like COVID-19 research in 2020 — receive rapid citations, the metric can spike.
Therefore, impact factor should not be the only criterion for evaluating a journal. Metrics like CiteScore (4.2 in 2024), SNIP, or SJR ranking provide additional perspective.
Final Thoughts for Authors
If you need rapid open-access publication, global visibility, and indexing in all major databases, Heliyon is a reasonable choice. But if you’re targeting niche recognition or high impact, specialized journals with lower acceptance rates may serve better.
Before submitting, always check:
- The journal scope (Heliyon accepts multidisciplinary research)
- The review timeline (average 8–10 weeks)
- APC budget (USD 1,750–2,000)
- Citation goals (do you need IF >5?)
For tracking biomedical literature efficiently, tools like PubMed.ai can help you analyze trends and identify high-impact journals beyond a single metric.
If you’re in biomedical research, clinical practice, or academic writing, you already know how time-consuming it can be to find and interpret high-quality literature. PubMed.ai is built to change that.
Unlike basic search engines, PubMed.ai doesn’t just list papers — it helps you understand them. The platform combines powerful literature retrieval with intelligent analysis, letting you move from scattered abstracts to structured insights in minutes.
- Search smarter, not harder: PubMed.ai’s Search Summary condenses key findings from research papers, while its Search Co-Pilot helps refine queries so you don’t waste time on irrelevant results.
- Have deep conversations with your research: The Deep Chat feature lets you ask context-aware questions about selected papers. It doesn’t just paraphrase — it explains methods, highlights clinical significance, and surfaces gaps in the evidence.
- Turn findings into ready-to-use reports: With a single click, PubMed.ai can generate structured research summaries in PDF format, saving hours of manual note-taking and formatting.
Whether you’re a medical student preparing for exams, a scientist drafting a grant, or a clinician making evidence-based decisions, PubMed.ai streamlines your workflow and gives you confidence in your sources.
Start exploring PubMed.ai today — and turn overwhelming data into actionable knowledge.
FAQs
What is the Heliyon impact factor in 2025?
Heliyon’s official 2025 Clarivate impact factor is 3.6.
Is Heliyon indexed in PubMed and Scopus?
Yes. It’s indexed in PubMed Central, Scopus, and Web of Science ESCI.
What is the Heliyon publication fee?
The APC is roughly USD 1,750–2,000 depending on currency and institutional agreements.
Is Heliyon considered a predatory journal?
No. It’s published by Elsevier, follows COPE guidelines, and is indexed in major databases.
How has Heliyon’s impact factor changed over time?
It was 3.4 in 2023, peaked at 4.32 (Scopus Impact Score) in 2024, and is now 3.6 in 2025, reflecting variable citation patterns.
Have a question about medical research, clinical practice, or evidence-based treatment? Access authoritative, real-time insights: PubMed.ai is an AI-Powered Medical Research Assistant.