Three MIT Press journals earn top Clarivate impact factor rankings in their fields

Three MIT Press journals secured the highest impact factors in their respective disciplines in Clarivate's 2026 Journal Citation Reports, the publisher announced Monday. Computational Linguistics ranked first in Linguistics, International Security led International Relations, and The Review of Economics and Statistics topped Social Sciences, Mathematical Models. The achievement underscores the outsized influence of MIT Press's journals program, which remains relatively small compared to major commercial and university press publishers. Despite its scale, the press consistently publishes widely cited scholarship spanning social sciences, humanities, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence. International Security's influence extends well beyond academia. Recent articles have been cited by Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, The Conversation, CBC, and the Brookings Institution. The journal published a widely discussed article by MIT political scientist Caitlin Talmadge that anticipated how a limited strike on Iran could escalate into attempts to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a broader military and economic crisis. "I am proud and humbled that International Security has had the number one impact factor in International Relations for two years running," said Jacqueline Hazelton, editor of International Security. She credited reviewers, authors, editors, and readers for the journal's continued standing. MIT Press Director Amy Brand said the rankings reflect the press's commitment to rigorous peer review and its mission to publish scholarship that shapes both academic discourse and public understanding.