Why Scopus is Important

Understand the importance of Scopus to Academic Researchers
By Nikki Borgel on Nov 27, 2020
eContent Pro
Scopus

For years, having published research has been required for most academics seeking tenure at their university, but recently, it has become more common for universities to only recognize research published in prestigiously indexed and abstracted journals. These requirements are arising because indices give specific metrics that rank the success of the journal and the citation impact of each author. High ratings help authors and their affiliated universities gain recognition in the academic community and access to greater research funding, which in turn allows their careers and programs to flourish.

Some of the most sought-after indices and abstracting services include Web of Science™, Scopus®, INSPEC, PsycInfo®, and others. Because of the prestige of these indices, included journals receive a greater number of submissions for each issue, increasing the competition for each coveted spot in the journal. With greater competition comes higher-quality papers in the submission queue and lower acceptance rates, meaning it is far more difficult to be accepted into these publications than those that are not yet indexed.

The push for indexing means that for many academics, the stress of publishing their research goes far beyond simply being accepted. All journals require their submissions to be polished and ready for peer review, indicating it can be a critical mistake not to have your manuscript professionally reviewed before submission.

Fortunately, eContent Pro is available to help authors and researchers at every step of their publication journey by offering comprehensive and professional editorial services including Copy Editing & Proofreading and Journal Recommendation. With the stress of indexing in mind, we recognize that not every researcher is an expert in indices even if their career relies on their inclusion. As such, the eContent Pro editorial team has put together a comprehensive profile of one of the largest indices, Scopus, and all its requirements. 

Journal Finder Banner

What is Scopus?

After being founded by Elsevier in 2004, Scopus has grown rapidly to become the largest index and citation database on the market. Scopus includes research in a wide variety of interdisciplinary topics but categorizes all their content into four categories: health sciences, life sciences, social sciences, physical sciences. They include a wealth of research from more than 24,000 peer reviewed journals, 194,000 books, and feature over 75 million articles and chapters. Despite being an index this large, every publication included in the Scopus database undergoes a rigorous review period to verify its quality and contribution to the scientific community.

What Makes Scopus Unique?

With its status as the largest index on the market, many universities are beginning to require that their professors publish in journals featured in Scopus as a way to advertise their prestige as a university and also garner attention for new students and research funding. While Scopus does not feature things like Web of Science’s Funding Data Index, Scopus has a variety of characteristics that set it apart from Web of Science and other influential indices. These unique characteristics include:

  • Historic Content – Scopus features select content dating back to 1788.
  • Highly Selective Advisory Board – The Scopus Content Selection and Advisory Board (CSAB) only accepts about 630 of the 3500 yearly submissions, proving they provide only the highest quality research in their index. The criteria Scopus uses to judge journals and publications is extensive and includes things such as:
    • Consistent publication
    • ISSN
    • Content readable to an international audience (English titles/abstracts, roman letters in citations)
    • Publicly available publication ethics and malpractice statement
    • Presence of peer review
    • Diversity of authors and editors
    • Convincing editorial policies
    • Contribution to the academic field
    • Clarity of abstracts
    • Conformity to the Aims and Scope
    • Readability of articles
    • Citedness in other Scopus publications
    • Online availability
    • Quality of journal webpage
  • Intense Yearly Evaluation Procedures – Scopus also has a consistent system in place that allows them to regularly reevaluate indexed journals to ensure they are adhering to Scopus guidelines. The six criteria Scopus looks for in reevaluation procedures are:
    • Self-citation rate – Journal has a self-citation rate less than two times higher than peer journals in its field
    • Total citation rate – Journal has received half as many or more citations than peer journals in its field
    • CiteScore – Journal has more than half the average CiteScore among peer journals in its field
    • Number of articles – Journal produced more than half as many articles as the average journal in its field
    • Number of full-text clicks on the Scopus site – Journal’s full text is used more than half as much as other journals in its subject area on the Scopus site
    • Abstract usage on Scopus.com – Abstracts are used more than half as much as peer journals on the Scopus site.
  • Creator of Popular Quality Metrics – Scopus has its own set of popular journal quality ratings such as the H Index, SJR (Scimago Journal Rank), CiteScore, and SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper), all of which are useful metrics for authors, editors, and publishers to evaluate the success and reach of their content against other articles within their subject area.

What is the Process of Acceptance?

Any journal can be submitted for inclusion in Scopus by its publisher or Editor-in-Chief (EiC) by using the Scopus Title Suggestion Page. From there, the journal’s information is brought before the Scopus Content Selection and Advisory Board (CSAB). This board is made up of scientists, researchers, and librarians from around the world who specialize in specific subject areas. The board reviews the journals based on Scopus’ outlined criteria and recommends the acceptance or rejection of a journal. They also participate in the reevaluation process to ensure Scopus is staying up to date with the content that is most relevant to the international academic community in each field.

If indexing is a primary concern to you as an author, finding a journal that meets your needs is a top priority. Fortunately, eContent Pro’s free Journal Identifier Database (JiD) can help

JiD is a journal matching tool that analyzes the coverage and metrics of 3,000+ scholarly peer-reviewed journals in over 10 subject areas, including medicine, environmental science, government and law, library and information science, etc. In order to ensure the credibility of each journal in the database, JiD only recommends journals published by academic publishers that are recognized by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). One of our main goals in offering this free tool is to decrease the risk of authors falling prey to the many predatory journals currently in the market.

The tool itself is very user-friendly. All you do is identify your current research subject, provide a few keywords, and write a brief description of your manuscript. After you click “Find Journals,” JiD gives you up to five free journal suggestions based on the data you entered. You can also use the tool to generate suggestions for a different manuscript if you have more than one. There’s no limit!

If JiD’s results do not provide you with exactly what you were looking for, then you have the option to take the process a step further by utilizing eContent Pro’s paid Journal Recommendation Service. If you follow through with this service, our expert journal selectors will read through your entire document and provide a minimum of five journal recommendations that directly suit your research. Even though the expert journal selectors cannot guarantee your manuscript will be accepted by the recommended journals they provide, this service will ensure that you are submitting your work to the most relevant publication possible.

About eContent Pro

At eContent Pro, we have an incredible team of professional copy editors who can help make sure your manuscript is fit for publication. Our native English-speaking copy editors and certified proofreaders are highly experienced and specialize in over 10 research areas, ensuring that your document is in good hands.

We take pride in providing top-notch editorial services that are tailored to meet the needs of our clients. With over 20 years of experience in the publishing industry, we have earned a reputation for delivering high-quality work that is error-free and polished to perfection at the quickest turnaround time.

In addition, we use Microsoft Word's Track Changes feature to perform edits, allowing you to easily review and manage the changes made to your document. We also follow various style guides, including APA 7th edition, MLA, AP, Harvard, Chicago, and more, to ensure that your document adheres to the standards set by your academic institution or publisher.

Make the Correct Choice

eContent Pro is committed to providing excellent service at a competitive price. Our English Language Copy Editing and Proofreading service costs just US $0.06 per word, with a turnaround time of 2-3 business days at no extra cost. Your total cost of copy editing will also benefit from our current 10% academic discount.

Contact us today to learn more about our editorial services and how we can help you achieve your publishing goals. With our team of experts by your side, you can be confident that your document will be polished to perfection and ready to stand out in the competitive publishing landscape.

Posted in:
Join Our Newsletter
Receive new blog post updates
Subscribe
Follow Us On Social Media