- An exceptional article (of the kind that might have warranted publication in such journals as Nature, Cell, Science, New England Journal of Medicine, British Medical Journal)
- An article of outstanding merit and interest in its field (of the kind that might be found in the leading specialist journal in its field, such as Immunity, Development, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Gastroenterology)
- An article of importance in its field
- An article whose findings are important to those with closely related research interests
- An article of limited interest
- An article of insufficient interest to warrant publication in a scientific/medical journal
为什么我们关心影响因子,还是需要一个指标大致评价一个期刊发表论文的整体水平。虽然传统期刊都要求评价什么significance, importance或level of interest等,但不同期刊要求的significance的程度就差远了。一些影响因子很低的期刊,significance方面的评价基本上是个摆设。