World Journal of Clinical Cases

World Journal of Clinical Cases

Publisher: Baishideng Publishing Group Format: Open Access, English-language Frequency: Three issues per month Review Process: Single-blind peer review Scope: Case reports, clinical research, reviews, guidelines

Impact and Metrics

Impact Factor (2023): ≈ 1.0 (5-year IF ~1.1)
H-index: ~30
SCIE-indexed: Yes
Ranking: Q3 (Medicine, General & Internal)
Average Citations per Article: < 2
Article Volume (2021): ~1,300 (up from ~70 in 2017)

Strengths

✅ Open access with rapid publication cycles (~1 month)
✅ Indexed in SCIE and PubMed Central
✅ Declared adherence to COPE ethical guidelines
✅ Useful for early-career authors needing visibility or academic credits

Weaknesses

⚠️ Quantity over Quality: Rapid growth has diluted scientific value
⚠️ Minimal Peer Review Rigor: Many articles accepted with superficial scrutiny
⚠️ Low Citability: Most case reports have minimal academic influence
⚠️ Middling Prestige: Q3 ranking limits institutional recognition
⚠️ Predatory Optics: Expansion strategy and APC model raise concerns, despite technical indexing
⚠️ Lack of Editorial Selectivity: Frequent publication of anecdotal, non-hypothesis-generating reports

Summary Table

Attribute	Evaluation
Visibility	★★★☆☆ (SCIE-indexed, PubMed Central)
Scientific Rigor	★★☆☆☆ (Single-blind, often superficial)
Citation Impact	★☆☆☆☆ (Low citations per article)
Ethical Standing	★★★★☆ (COPE-compliant, no major misconduct reported)
Ideal For	Rapid dissemination of low-impact clinical observations

Final Assessment

World Journal of Clinical Cases offers a fast-track, open-access outlet for case reports, but at the cost of academic rigor and long-term influence. Its role is primarily archival and descriptive rather than investigational or hypothesis-generating. It is best seen as a platform for documentation, not for advancing the scientific frontier.

Use cautiously. Suitable for descriptive cases, but inappropriate for research intended to shift clinical paradigms.