The team behind Animal Welfare, the journal of the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) and published by Cambridge University Press, is pleased to share that the journal has achieved an Impact Factor of 2.3 in the 2024 Journal Citation Reports™ released by Clarivate in June 2025. This represents an increase of over 60% from last year’s score, reflecting the journal’s growing contribution to high-quality, peer-reviewed animal welfare science.
With this score, Animal Welfare is now ranked 30th out of 170 journals in Veterinary Sciences and 17th out of 181 in Zoology, placing it in the first quartile (Q1) in both subject categories. This marks a continued recognition of the journal’s influence in the field.
This achievement is a testament to the commitment and expertise of Animal Welfare's global community of authors, editors, and reviewers, whose work ensures the journal remains a trusted, scientifically rigorous platform for research that informs improvements and understanding in animal welfare across species and settings.
Commenting on the news, Joint Editor-in-Chief of Animal Welfare, Dr Birte Nielsen, said:
"We are a small journal with a focused mission, but this result demonstrates the broad and meaningful impact of our work. We are receiving more submissions of greater scientific quality, and this is now reflected in the number of citations our articles obtain.”
Professor Bas Rodenburg, Joint Editor-in-Chief of Animal Welfare, added: “
“Our dedication to scientific integrity and to publishing research of the highest standard continues to resonate within the academic community and beyond. Animal Welfare is now the go-to journal for the latest in animal welfare science."
The Animal Welfare team extends sincere thanks to the many authors, reviewers, and readers who support the journal’s mission.
To learn more or explore recent research, visit: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/animal-welfare
