Journal rankings · indicator year 2021
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Subfield ranking · 2021
Oncology journal rankings 2021
239 ranked journals · Subfield in Medicine
Oncology has 239 ranked journals in 2021. The median journal has an OJR of 0.83, below the world average of 1.00, unchanged on 2020; Q1 starts at OJR 1.31. The top three are CA A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, Nature Medicine, and The Lancet Oncology.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2021. Journal access status and listed APC: source snapshot September 23, 2026.
Journals whose main subfield sits in this category and that published at least 30 citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) in 2018–2020, the window the 2021 score is computed on.
The OpenJournalRank Indicator (OJR) is a free, publicly available metric of a journal’s field-normalized citation impact, computed from open OpenAlex citation data. It compares citations to a journal’s papers from the previous three years with the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and values can be compared across fields. It is computed with the NCI3 method.
The middle OJR among ranked journals in this category: half score higher, half lower. 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type.
The dot is this category, the solid tick is the median of all ranked journals and the dashed line is the world average.
Share of ranked journals in this category that are fully open access, so every paper is free to read. Hybrid journals, which sell subscriptions and open single papers for a fee, are not counted.
Median list price of the article processing charge, in US dollars, among ranked journals in this category that list a price above zero. Journals with a listed APC of $0 and journals with no known price are left out of this median. The At a glance table below gives a second median that includes the $0 prices.
Subfields of Medicine (42)
- Surgery985
- Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine362
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health303
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine297
- Oncology239
- Infectious Diseases234
- Epidemiology204
- Neurology172
- Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging170
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism163
- Physiology163
- Psychiatry and Mental health145
Show all 42 subfields
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine124
- Ophthalmology103
- Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health101
- Dermatology99
- Hematology83
- Obstetrics and Gynecology83
- Rheumatology67
- Nephrology61
- Pharmacology54
- Complementary and alternative medicine50
- Reproductive Medicine49
- Emergency Medicine45
- Geriatrics and Gerontology39
- Rehabilitation37
- Otorhinolaryngology35
- Hepatology29
- Pathology and Forensic Medicine26
- Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine24
- Immunology and Allergy23
- Genetics20
- Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine14
- Urology14
- Gastroenterology6
- Health Informatics5
- Internal Medicine5
- Transplantation3
- Family Practice2
- Biochemistry1
- Anatomy0
- Microbiology0
239 ranked journals
Filters
Rank is the position by OJR within the list on screen; 1 is the highest. | OJR is field-normalized 3-year citation impact: 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so values compare across fields. The badge is the journal’s quartile in this list. | Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is not field-normalized, so compare it only between journals of the same field. ▲ or ▼ is the change from 2020. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2018–2020, the window the 2021 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2018–2020 papers that are free to read in any open-access form. The green OA tag next to a title marks a fully open-access journal. | List price of the article processing charge in US dollars. “$0 listed” means the listed price is zero; a dash means no price is listed. | The line is the journal’s OJR from 2012 to 2021. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1CA A Cancer Journal for CliniciansOAWiley · United States | 120.83Q1 | 294.31 340.20 down from 2020 | 81 | 100% | $4,330 | ||
2Nature MedicineNature Portfolio · United States | 12.40Q1 | 60.90 22.45 up from 2020 | 934 | 57% | $12,690 | ||
3The Lancet OncologyElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 7.00Q1 | 26.60 6.89 up from 2020 | 1,110 | 30% | $7,280 | ||
4Journal of Clinical OncologyLippincott Williams & Wilkins · United States | 6.69Q1 | 23.10 3.15 up from 2020 | 1,402 | 7% | — | ||
5Cancer CellCell Press · Netherlands | 6.20Q1 | 24.57no change | 527 | 100% | $10,400 | ||
6Journal of Hematology & OncologyOABioMed Central · United Kingdom | 5.27Q1 | 23.76 4.93 up from 2020 | 438 | 100% | $4,990 | ||
7Annals of OncologyElsevier BV · Netherlands | 4.65Q1 | 18.80 1.72 up from 2020 | 1,059 | 98% | $5,080 | ||
8Cancer DiscoveryAmerican Association for Cancer Research · United States | 4.64Q1 | 15.92 0.31 up from 2020 | 610 | 61% | — | ||
9Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer NetworkNational Comprehensive Cancer | 4.29Q1 | 13.44 0.95 up from 2020 | 524 | 59% | — | ||
10Nature CancerNature Portfolio · United States | 4.04Q1 | 15.78 0.89 down from 2020 | 135 | 55% | $12,690 | ||
11World Journal of OncologyOAElmer Press Inc. · Canada | 3.88Q1 | 19.00 7.51 up from 2020 | 84 | 100% | — | ||
12JAMA OncologyAmerican Medical Association · United States | 3.71Q1 | 12.18 0.41 up from 2020 | 1,297 | 52% | — | ||
13Nature Reviews Clinical OncologyNature Portfolio · United Kingdom | 3.55Q1 | 21.11 5.81 up from 2020 | 482 | 27% | — | ||
14European Journal of EpidemiologySpringer Science+Business Media · Italy | 3.27Q1 | 13.82 5.80 up from 2020 | 352 | 85% | $3,690 | ||
15Journal for ImmunoTherapy of CancerOABMJ · United Kingdom | 3.20Q1 | 12.94 1.85 down from 2020 | 1,004 | 100% | $2,490 | ||
16npj Precision OncologyOANature Portfolio · United Kingdom | 3.19Q1 | 11.48 2.15 up from 2020 | 93 | 100% | $4,090 | ||
17Clinical Cancer ResearchAmerican Association for Cancer Research · United States | 3.18Q1 | 12.19 0.86 up from 2020 | 2,159 | 52% | — | ||
18Cell Reports MedicineOAElsevier BV · United States | 3.00Q1 | 18.27no 2020 value | 88 | 100% | $5,620 | — | |
19Seminars in Cancer BiologyElsevier BV · United States | 2.92Q1 | 12.59 2.13 up from 2020 | 499 | 49% | $6,060 | ||
20Cancer Treatment ReviewsElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 2.73Q1 | 14.46 2.89 up from 2020 | 305 | 61% | $4,910 | ||
21Cancer Immunology ResearchAmerican Association for Cancer Research · United States | 2.67Q1 | 11.80 0.59 up from 2020 | 457 | 45% | — | ||
22ImmunoTargets and TherapyOADove Medical Press · New Zealand | 2.51Q1 | 9.70 4.43 down from 2020 | 40 | 100% | $2,320 | ||
23MedElsevier BV · United States | 2.44Q1 | 24.62no 2020 value | 34 | 100% | $9,350 | — | |
24JNCI Journal of the National Cancer InstituteOxford University Press · United States | 2.41Q1 | 8.41 0.33 up from 2020 | 564 | 96% | $5,436 | ||
25American Society of Clinical Oncology Educational BookAmerican Society of Clinical Oncology · United States | 2.33Q1 | 8.09 0.29 up from 2020 | 265 | 49% | — | ||
26npj Breast CancerOANature Portfolio · United States | 2.29Q1 | 10.34 1.90 up from 2020 | 149 | 100% | $3,790 | ||
27British Journal of CancerSpringer Nature · United Kingdom | 2.17Q1 | 8.39 0.57 up from 2020 | 1,158 | 100% | $5,190 | ||
28European Journal of CancerElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 2.06Q1 | 8.49 0.37 up from 2020 | 1,137 | 47% | $4,270 | ||
29Breast Cancer ResearchOABioMed Central · United Kingdom | 2.04Q1 | 9.18 1.76 up from 2020 | 421 | 100% | $4,190 | ||
30CancerWiley · United States | 1.97Q1 | 6.03 0.19 up from 2020 | 1,793 | 76% | $4,790 | ||
31Current Oncology ReportsSpringer Science+Business Media · United States | 1.97Q1 | 7.02 1.03 up from 2020 | 343 | 40% | $5,090 | ||
32International Journal of CancerWiley · United States | 1.87Q1 | 5.94 1.00 down from 2020 | 1,883 | 81% | $5,030 | ||
33JNCI MonographsOxford University Press · United Kingdom | 1.82Q1 | 5.11 1.79 up from 2020 | 47 | 70% | — | ||
34Current Treatment Options in OncologySpringer Science+Business Media · United States | 1.80Q1 | 6.01 0.45 up from 2020 | 271 | 23% | $4,890 | ||
35OncoImmunologyOALandes Bioscience · United States | 1.76Q1 | 7.66 0.86 down from 2020 | 748 | 100% | $2,913 | ||
36Clinical Pharmacology & TherapeuticsWiley · United States | 1.74Q1 | 5.51 0.63 up from 2020 | 1,012 | 56% | $4,410 | ||
37The OncologistOAAlphaMed Press · United Kingdom | 1.70Q1 | 5.88 0.36 up from 2020 | 1,114 | 95% | $3,852 | ||
38CancersOAMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute · Switzerland | 1.67Q1 | 7.10 0.37 down from 2020 | 6,489 | 100% | $3,499 | ||
39Expert Opinion on Investigational DrugsTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 1.67Q1 | 6.06 0.09 up from 2020 | 321 | 32% | — | ||
40Therapeutic Advances in Medical OncologyOASAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 1.66Q1 | 6.01 2.99 down from 2020 | 412 | 100% | $2,800 | ||
41Frontiers in OncologyOAFrontiers Media · Switzerland | 1.64Q1 | 6.39 0.89 down from 2020 | 4,964 | 100% | $3,801 | ||
42ESMO OpenOAElsevier BV · Netherlands | 1.56Q1 | 6.63 1.12 up from 2020 | 415 | 100% | $3,910 | ||
43Archives of Pathology & Laboratory MedicineOAAmerican Medical Association · United States | 1.56Q1 | 5.28 0.41 up from 2020 | 637 | 100% | — | ||
44Cancer Immunology ImmunotherapyOASpringer Science+Business Media · Germany | 1.54Q1 | 6.30 0.73 down from 2020 | 656 | 99% | $4,590 | ||
45Molecular Cancer TherapeuticsAmerican Association for Cancer Research · United States | 1.52Q1 | 5.66 0.20 down from 2020 | 721 | 37% | — | ||
46JCO Global OncologyOALippincott Williams & Wilkins · United States | 1.51Q1 | 5.62 1.62 up from 2020 | 210 | 100% | $2,472 | ||
47Seminars in OncologyElsevier BV · United States | 1.48Q1 | 5.49 0.12 down from 2020 | 137 | 40% | $3,550 | ||
48JCO Clinical Cancer InformaticsLippincott Williams & Wilkins · United States | 1.46Q1 | 6.04 1.62 up from 2020 | 276 | 65% | — | ||
49Cancer Biology and MedicineOAChinese Anti-Cancer Association · China | 1.45Q1 | 6.12 1.66 up from 2020 | 189 | 100% | $1,500 | ||
50Seminars in Oncology NursingElsevier BV · United States | 1.42Q1 | 4.24 1.48 up from 2020 | 189 | 18% | $3,590 |
Subfields of Medicine, with Oncology highlighted.
- Surgery985
- Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine362
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health303
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine297
- Oncology239
- Infectious Diseases234
- Epidemiology204
- Neurology172
- Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging170
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism163
- Physiology163
- Psychiatry and Mental health145
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine124
- Ophthalmology103
- Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health101
- Dermatology99
- Hematology83
- Obstetrics and Gynecology83
- Rheumatology67
- Nephrology61
- Pharmacology54
- Complementary and alternative medicine50
- Reproductive Medicine49
- Emergency Medicine45
- Geriatrics and Gerontology39
- Rehabilitation37
- Otorhinolaryngology35
- Hepatology29
- Pathology and Forensic Medicine26
- Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine24
- Immunology and Allergy23
- Genetics20
- Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine14
- Urology14
- Gastroenterology6
- Health Informatics5
- Internal Medicine5
- Transplantation3
- Family Practice2
- Biochemistry1
- Anatomy0
- Microbiology0
Journals
Citations made in 2021. Corpus-wide, 87.7% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
74 additional Oncology journals with metrics are unranked under this release’s eligibility rules: a journal needs at least 30 citable documents in 2018–2020, at least 80% of them with a subfield, and a positive world-average expectation. Ranks are within the whole category; filters hide rows without re-ranking. OJR excludes self-citations.
At a glance
Indicator year: 2021. Publication window: 2018–2020. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 239
- Window papers (baseline)
- 139,666 +27.0% from indicator year 2018
- Median OJR
- 0.830 +1.0% from indicator year 2018
- Rising journals (2025)
- 20
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2018–2020 in all journals of the world-average baseline, including non-core journals, counted by each paper’s own subfield. They are not the papers of the ranked journals alone.
| Measure | Year series | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranked journals | 82 | 88 | 96 | 103 | 109 | 120 | 120 | 126 | 127 | 134 | 141 | 150 | 153 | 170 | 179 | 188 | 198 | 213 | 224 | 234 | 238 | 239 | 245 | 245 | 243 | 242 | |
| Window papers (baseline) | 37,821 | 41,430 | 44,340 | 47,392 | 49,058 | 53,111 | 57,002 | 62,106 | 66,087 | 71,283 | 77,009 | 82,075 | 86,189 | 88,804 | 93,912 | 98,660 | 102,921 | 105,891 | 109,984 | 115,044 | 121,890 | 139,666 | 156,942 | 167,602 | 163,907 | 160,807 | |
| Median OJR | 0.55 | 0.62 | 0.70 | 0.799 | 0.805 | 0.831 | 0.85 | 0.90 | 0.94 | 0.93 | 1.010 | 0.95 | 1.006 | 0.974 | 0.972 | 0.967 | 0.832 | 0.84 | 0.82 | 0.79 | 0.829 | 0.830 | 0.77 | 0.750 | 0.73 | 0.748 |
How to read these rankings
- OJR, the OpenJournalRank Indicator
- A field-normalized 3-year citation impact, computed from OpenAlex with the NCI3 method. It divides the citations a journal’s papers received by the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and 2.00 means twice as many citations as expected. Because it is normalized, it can be compared across fields. Read the methodology
- Quartiles
- Q1 to Q4 split the ranked journals of the list you are viewing into four equal groups by OJR. A journal’s quartile depends on the list: the same journal can be Q1 in its subfield and Q2 among all journals.
- Impact factor (2-year)
- Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is easy to compare with familiar impact factors but is not field-normalized, so compare it only within a field. It is not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. Why it differs from the Journal Impact Factor
- Rank ranges
- Each rank in the latest year carries a likely range from 1,000 resamples of the journal’s papers. Where two journals’ ranges overlap, the data cannot tell them apart, so treat neighbouring ranks as ties.