Impact factor

Impact factor is a score that shows how important a scientific research paper is. It's like a grade for the paper to show how good it is. It's based on how many times other scientists have cited or mentioned the paper in their own research. Basically, if lots of other smart people are talking about a research paper, it means it's probably really good and important. The bigger the impact factor, the better the grade for the paper. It's a way to measure how much of an impact the paper has on the scientific community.