Journal of Craniofacial Surgery in the Journal Citation Reports 2026: Current Metrics and Emerging Trends

The Journal Citation Reports (JCR) remains one of the most widely used tools for evaluating the academic performance of scientific journals. This study aimed to assess the current bibliometric performance of the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery using the Journal Citation Reports 2026 data and to compare the findings with previous years. Current journal metrics, including the Journal Impact Factor (JIF), Journal Citation Indicator (JCI), total citations, category rankings, quartile status, and open-access performance, were analyzed. According to the JCR 2026, the journal achieved a JIF of 1.1, representing the second-highest value in its history, while the total citation count reached a record high of 13,861. The journal maintained its third-quartile (Q3) position in the Surgery category despite increasing competition resulting from recent methodological changes in the JCR. Open-access articles accounted for a disproportionately higher percentage of citations relative to their publication rate, suggesting a potential citation advantage. Overall, the findings indicate that the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery has continued to strengthen its academic visibility and scientific influence while maintaining stable performance in an increasingly competitive publishing environment.