Viruses and bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae type B and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are common causes of pneumonia. Pneumonia is also a complication of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). 
Ongoing pneumonia research is crucial to help health professionals diagnose and treat patients. Research also helps improve our understanding of if, and how, COVID-19 affects the lungs differently than non-COVID-19 pneumonia.
To support this, we’ve collated a list of the top 10 respiratory journals that regularly publish pneumonia research findings, including up-to-date COVID-19 pneumonia research.
Journal metrics
Impact factor: is based on Web of Science data and only includes documents such as articles and reviews. It measures the average number of times an article is cited by other journal articles and documents. An impact factor of 3 or more is considered good, 1 is average. This list uses the 2-year impact factor from SCImago.
CiteScore: is based on Scopus data for all indexed documents, including articles, letters and editorials. Like impact factor, it measures the average citations received per document published in a journal over a 4-year time period.
Impact factor and CiteScore have the most meaning when used to compare journals within the same therapeutic area of subject. Many academics value a journal’s impact factor over its Citescore; therefore they will use the impact factor to rank other journals in the same field.
SCImago Journal Rank (SJR): measures the citations received from a journal but it also considers the importance of the journal where the citations have come from. This measurement can be helpful to rank journals within the same field and category.
Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP): measures citations weighted by subject field. A SNIP over 1.0 means a journal has more citations than average.
Impact Factor: 6.761
CiteScore: 43.7
SJR: 9.030
SNIP: 8.896
The Lancet Respiratory Medicine is a leading journal that publishes regular research, correspondence and news related to pneumonia. Recent articles include findings from a study into the effectiveness of CPAP for preventing respiratory complications such as pneumonia post-abdominal surgery, and care for patients with COVID-19 related pneumonia.
Impact Factor: 6.744
CiteScore: 11.4
SJR: 2.565
SNIP: 2.956
The European Respiratory Review is published by the European Respiratory Society and provides open access content focused on all areas of respiratory medicine, including pneumonia. Because new articles are published continuously online, the journal is a great resource to bookmark to stay informed about the latest respiratory research. You can also follow the European Respiratory Society on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Impact Factor: 5.909
CiteScore: 15.3
SJR: 4.021
SNIP: 2.938
The European Respiratory Journal is also published by the European Respiratory Society. It includes articles, reports, guidelines, editorials and other correspondence. Its wide range of content spans both paediatric and adult respiratory medicine. Recent pneumonia articles include the risk of community-acquired pneumonia in children using gastric acid suppressants, the use of aspirin to reduce cardiovascular effects in patients with pneumonia, and COVID-19 and pneumonia.
Impact Factor: 5.480
CiteScore: 24.6
SJR: 6.272
SNIP: 5.195
Published twice a month by the American Thoracic Society, the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine publishes content that helps health professionals and researchers improve their understanding of the pathophysiology and treatment of respiratory conditions, including pneumonia. Some of the content is open access.
Impact Factor: 4.916
CiteScore: 6.6
SJR: 1.846
SNIP: 1.501
Respiratory Research is an open access journal with an extensive collection of articles covering respiratory medicine and respiratory diseases. Recent pneumonia related research includes a study into the association between cytokine profiles and lung injury in COVID-19 pneumonia, and risk factors for exacerbations and pneumonia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A journal that will appeal to both researchers and frontline medical professionals.
Impact Factor: 4.659
CiteScore: 7.7
SJR: 1.892
SNIP: 1.329
This journal is published by the American Physiological Society. As its name suggests, the content published focuses on the molecular, cellular and integrative aspects of cells and components of the respiratory system. Featuring complex articles such as how inhibition of the lipoxin A4 and resolvin D1 receptor impairs host response to acute lung injury caused by pneumococcal pneumonia in mice, this journal is most relevant for researchers rather than health professionals providing patient care.
Impact Factor: 4.321
CiteScore: 13.5
SJR: 3.083
SNIP: 2.902
Thorax is published monthly by BMJ Publishing Group and includes research that helps improve the understanding of respiratory conditions to support clinical practice. It is the official journal of the British Thoracic Society. You can also listen to Thorax podcasts and follow on Twitter and Facebook.
Impact Factor: 3.413
CiteScore: 8.4
SJR: 2.469
SNIP: 1.181
The American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology is the companion journal of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Recent articles include metabolic adaptation in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus pneumonia, and immune modulation to improve survival of viral pneumonia in mice. A journal for researchers to bookmark.
Impact Factor: 3.395
CiteScore: 10.3
SJR: 2.647
SNIP: 2.764
Chest is published monthly and regularly includes pneumonia research, some of which is available as open access content. It is the official journal of the American College of Chest Physicians. You can also follow on Twitter.
Impact Factor: 2.746
CiteScore: 7.6
SJR: 2.035
SNIP: 1.793
The Annals of the American Thoracic Society covers both adult and paediatric respiratory medicine. It focuses on publishing content that will impact clinical practice, further educate health professionals and improve public health. Recent articles include a study on the predictive performance of risk factors for multidrug-resistant pathogens in nosocomial pneumonia, and inhaled corticosteroid use and invasive pneumococcal pneumonia.
