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Scopus

Journal FAQs: Helping to


improve the submission & success
process for Editors & Publishers
BeingindexedinScopusisamajorattainmentforjournalsworldwideandachievingthissuccess
bringswithitnotonlyameasureofsatisfactionbutalsoassuranceofthequalityofyourjournalto
othermembersofthescientificcommunity.
Throughinteractionanddiscussionwithjournaleditors,journaladministrationmanagersand
publishers,werealizedthatitwouldbehelpfulifasetofFrequentlyAskedQuestions(FAQs)was
madeavailableforjournaleditorsseekingtobeindexedinScopus.
Tothatend,tohelpimprovethesuccessofyoursubmissiontoScopuswehavecollatedanumberof
FAQsforallstagesoftheScopussubmissionprocess.Additionally,weconductjournaleditors
workshoptogetherwiththeSubjectChairsfromourScopusContentSelection&AdvisoryBoard
(CSAB)acrossmanyregionsoftheworld.FormoreinformationaboutScopusandtheCSAB,its
scopeandfunction,pleaseclickhere.
TheFAQsrangefromwantingtoknowwhatisexpectedofajournaltitletodetailedinformation
aboutthejournalaimsandscopeorpolicy.TheseFAQsalsoincludethoserelatedtotheRoleofthe
Editor,whichmanynewjournaleditorshaverequestedtohelpthemintheirrole.Formore
informationontheRoleofanEditor,pleaseseethedocumentrelatedtothattopic.
PleaseusetheFAQsbelowasaguideandreferenceonly.Wehavetriedtomakethemasconciseas
possiblebuttheyarebynomeansdefinitiveasrolesandresponsibilitiesdifferfromjournalto
journal.TheFAQsaremainlyaddressedtoJournalEditors,butwhereappropriatetheymayalso
meettheneedsofPublishersgiventheiroverarchingroleinjournalresponsibility.Wewelcome
feedbackabouttheFAQsandtheirvalueandusefulness.Ifyouthinkadditionalquestionswouldbe
ofbenefittoeditorsandthepublishingcommunity,pleasesendthemto
titlesuggestion@scopus.comwiththesubjectheaderFAQs.

ForthepurposeoftheseFAQswehavedividedtheScopusjournalselectioncriteriaintoa2stage
process:

1. Presubmissionandselfevaluation
2. Scopustitleevaluation
a. Submissionprocess
b. ReviewdecisionsbytheCSAB

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STAGE 1: PreSubmission and selfevaluation

1. WhatjournalsareeligibleforScopusreview?
Alljournalsneedtomeetalloftheminimumoreligibilitycriteria.Ajournalthatfailsonany
ofthesecriteriawillnotbeeligibleforreview.
MinimumCriteria:

TheJournalshouldconsistofpeerreviewedcontent

TheJournalshouldbepublishedonaregularbasis(haveanISSNnumberthathasbeen
registeredwiththeInternationalISSNCentre)

Contentshouldberelevantandreadableforaninternationalaudience(atminimum
havereferencesinRomanscriptandEnglishlanguageabstractsandarticletitles)

TheJournalshouldhaveapublicationethicsandpublicationmalpracticestatement

Additionally,itisgeneralpolicythatajournalneedstohaveapublicationhistoryofatleast
twoyearsbeforeitcanbereviewedforScopuscoverage(Stage2).

2. Whatisapeerreviewedarticleinapeerreviewedjournal?
Inacademicpublishing,thegoalofpeerreviewistoassessthequalityofarticlessubmitted
forpublicationinascholarlyjournalbyexpertsinaspecificfieldofresearch.Beforean
articleisdeemedappropriateforpublicationinapeerreviewedjournal,itmustundergoan
evaluationprocess.

Theauthorofthearticlemustsubmitittothejournaleditorwhoforwardsthearticleto
expertsinthefield,afterithasbeenprocessedthroughtherelevantjournalsubmission
system.Becausethereviewersspecializeinthesamescholarlyareaastheauthor,they
areconsideredtheauthorspeers(hencepeerreview).
Theseimpartialreviewersarechargedwithcarefullyevaluatingthequalityofthe
submittedmanuscript,oftenusingtheirownevaluationcriteriatoassistthereview
process.
Thepeerreviewerscheckanumberofissuesinthemanuscriptincludingassessingthe
validityoftheresearchmethodologyandprocedures.Theywouldalsobevigilantforany
unethicalpracticeintheresearchorplagiarism.
Ifappropriate,theymayrecommendrevisionsandresubmissionofanarticle.Inother
casestheymayrecommendrejectionforvariousreasons.Theeditorofajournalis
reliantonitsreviewerstoofferguidanceonwhethertoacceptorrejectanarticle.

Moreinformation:http://www.elsevier.com/about/publishingguidelines/peerreview

3. Whatarethedifferentkindsofpeerreviewedjournals?
Therearedifferenttypesofpeerreview:

Maineditorpeerreview:Onlyone(ortwo)maineditor(s)reviewandselectallthe
submittedarticlesforeachissue.

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Openpeerreview:Reviewersareawareoftheidentityoftheauthors,andauthorsare
alsoawareoftheidentityofreviewers.Thereareatleastthreeormorereviewersfor
thetotalnumberofarticlesineachissue.
Singleblindpeerreview:Reviewersareawareoftheidentityoftheauthors,butauthors
areunawareoftheidentityofreviewers.Thereareatleastthreeormorereviewersfor
thetotalnumberofarticlesineachissue.
Doubleblindpeerreview:Reviewersareunawareoftheidentityoftheauthors,and
authorsarealsounawareoftheidentityofreviewers.Therehastobeatleasttwo
reviewersforthetotalnumberofarticlesineachissue,withmanyjournalsinvitingmore
toensureresponsivefeedback.

Newformatsofpeerreviewincludepostpublicationpeerreviewwherethepeerreview
processtakesplaceaftera(preliminaryversionofthe)articleispublished.Postpublication
peerreviewtakesplaceonline.

Moreinformation:http://www.elsevier.com/reviewers/peerreview#typesofpeerreview
4. WhatdoesinclusioninScopusmeanforajournal?
AjournalthatissuggestedtoScopusandacceptedforinclusionwill:

Gaininternationalvisibility;
Increasetheopportunityforcollaborationwithotherresearchersfromaroundthe
world;
Increasethepossibilityofthearticlecontenthavingadditionalcitationsduetothe
enhancedaccessibility;
Becontributingtothewiderscholarlycommunityinthespecialistsubjectfield.

5. HowimportantisittoknowwhetherajournalisalreadybeingcitedinScopus?

KnowingwhetherajournalisalreadybeingcitedinScopusgivesanideaoftheimpactitwill
have,shoulditbeselectedforScopuscoverage.Theexpectedimpactofajournalrelativeto
otherjournalsinitsfieldisanaspectthatistakenintoaccountintheScopusjournal
evaluationprocess.Itisalsoagoodindicatorforauthorstoseethevalueoftheirresearchto
othersintheirfield.
6. WhydoestheabstractofanarticlehavetobepublishedinEnglish?
ThemainlanguageoftheinternationalscientificcommunityandthereforealsoforScopus
usersisconsideredtobeEnglish.Therefore,allcontentoftherecordsthatareavailablein
Scopus(title,abstract,keywords)needtobeinEnglish.Alsoindexing,profilingand
processingofcontentinScopusarebasedontheEnglishlanguage.
PleasenotethatthefulltextoftitlescoveredinScopuscanbeinanylanguageaslongasthe
title,abstractsandkeywordsareinEnglish.Currentlyjournalsthathavefulltextcontentin
40differentlanguagesarecoveredinScopus.
7. ShouldallarticlesbepublishedinEnglishaswellasotherlanguages?
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Asnotedinthepreviousquestion,allabstractsmustbeintheEnglishlanguage.However,
thefulltextofjournalsfoundinScopuscanbeinanylanguage.Currently,Scopushastitles
thathavefulltextcontentin40differentlanguages.Manyjournalsnowhavethefacilityto
enablereaderstoreadanEnglishtranslationoftheirjournalsiteaswellasbeingableto
readaselectionofpublishedpapersinEnglish.ManyjournalsarealsoincludingEnglish
translationsofsomeoftheirauthorsworkorpublishingafewarticlesinEnglishlanguage,
whichenablesinternationalresearcherstoaccesstheresearchdirectly,aswellas
encouragingdialogueandcollaboration.
8. WhatisaPublicationEthicsandPublicationMalpracticeStatement?
ThePublicationEthicsandPublicationMalpracticeStatementisastatementwhichmakesit
clearthatthePublisheradherestoarecognizedCodeofConductandethicalpracticein
relationtoitsownworkandthatofitsjournals.
Thisstatementshouldincludecontentbasedontheprinciplesofanorganizationsuchas
COPE,suchasequalityforallarticles/authorsbytheEditorandEditorialteamandjournal
reviewers;confidentiality;publicationfraud;originalityandplagiarismaswellasnotification
ofwhatactionitwouldtakeifthisissuspected;authorshiprulesanddisclosuresandconflict
ofinterests.
SeeCOPEPrinciplesofTransparencyandBestPracticeinScholarlyPublishinghere.

9. Howcantheeditorialboardcheckwhethertheirjournalisbeingcitedbyotherjournals
alreadyindexedinScopus?
Scopusrecordscontainthefullreferencelistsofthearticle.Soevenifthejournalisnotin
Scopus,itispossibletofindcitationsbysearchingforthetitleinthereferences.
SearchforthejournaltitleinthereferencesinAdvancedsearchbyusingREFSRCTITLE().*
ThenselectViewReferencesandnarrowdownforonlyreferencestothejournaltitleyou
areinterestedinbyusingSRCTITLE().Thiswillgiveyoualistofarticlesthatarecitedandthe
totalnumberofcitationsfoundtothem.Checkiftheresultsarereallycitationstothetitle
youarelookingfor.

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*Althoughitispossibletogainanapproximateideaofthelevelofcitationsbyusingthis
method,thecitationcountmaynotbefullyaccurate.Themethodologyreliesonthe
accuracyoftextmatchingwhichisdependentonambiguity,differencesinuseof
abbreviations,typingerrorsandincompletedata.Carefullychoosethewordsofthejournal
titleandchecktheresultsofwhatactuallyhasbeenfound.Youmayneedtoadjustthe
searchafewtimesbeforeyougetthebestresults.

10. Whoshouldbenominatedasthemainhandlingeditorofthejournal?
ThemainhandlingEditor(s)shouldnotjustbeinnameonly(thatisnotcontributingtothe
journaleditorrole)norshouldtheybeanadhocEditorialBoardmember;insteadtheyneed
toinvolvedwiththejournalanditsmanagement.Itishighlyrecommendedthatthemain
handlingeditor(orEditorinChiefinsomejournals)takeanactiveinterestinwantingto
raisetheoverallqualityofthejournal.TheirinvolvementisoftenseenintheirEditorialsin
someofthejournalissues.Thisinformationwillbepartoftheevaluationundertakenbythe
reviewersoftheScopusCSAB.
11. CanconferenceproceedingsbeconsideredappropriateforsubmissiontoScopus?
ConferenceproceedingsareeligibleforScopusreviewiftheyareserialandmeetallofthe
Scopusminimumjournalselectioncriteria.Eligibleconferenceproceedingsarereviewedin
thesamewayasjournals.
12. CananOpenAccessjournalbesubmittedforinclusioninScopus?
AlltitlesthatmeettheScopusminimumjournalselectioncriteriacanbesuggestedfor
Scopuscoverage,irrespectiveofthebusinessmodelthatisusedforthejournal.
ThereforeOpenAccessjournalscanalsobesuggestedforinclusioninScopuswhich
currentlyhasmorethan2,800OpenAccessJournalsindexedinitsdatabase
13. WherecanIfindadditionalresourcesforEditors?
Hereareseveralresourcesitesthateditorscanreferto:

ElsevierEditorshomepage:www.elsevier.com/editors.*)Topicsonthelatest
developmentsinjournalpublishing,policiesandinitiatives,andhelpfultipsfrompeers
intheindustry.
ElsevierEditors'update:www.editorsupdate.elsevier.com.*)Discoverandsharewith
youreditorsthelatestdevelopmentsinjournalpublishing,policiesandinitiativesthat
affectthem.
ElsevierJournaleditorswebcastslibrary:www.editorsupdate.elsevier.com/editor
webcasts.*)
ElsevierEthicsinResearchandPublication:www.ethics.elsevier.com.*)Thisprogramis
inthecollaborationwithanindependentpanelofexpertsinresearchandpublishing
ethicsandElsevier.
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ElsevierPublishingEthicsResourceKit(PERK):http://www.elsevier.com/editors/perk.*)
Anonlineresourcetosupportjournaleditorsinhandlingpublishingethicsissues.

CommitteeofPublicationEthics(COPE):http://publicationethics.org/.COPEisaforum
foreditorsandpublishersofpeerreviewedjournalstodiscussallaspectsofpublication
ethics.Italsoadviseseditorsonhowtomanagecasesofresearchandpublication
misconductaswellasaseriesofBestPracticeGuidelinessuchasthoseforjournal
editorsandnewguidelinesforthosejournalsandpublisherswhowishtobecome
actualmembersofCOPE.

*)AlthoughaimedatEditorsofElsevierjournals,thesesourcesarepublicallyavailableand
canbeusedbyanyEditor.BesidestheElseviersourcesmentionedhere,manyother
scientificpublisherprovideinterestingsourcesrelevantforEditorstoo.

14. WhatareSourceNormalizedImpactperPaper(SNIP),ImpactperPublication(IPP)and
SCImagoJournalRank(SJR)?

SNIP,IPPandSJRarealljournallevelcitationbasedmetricsthatcanbeusedtomeasurethe
impactofajournal.Thesejournalmetrics:

AreavailableforalljournalsincludedinScopus

Arebasedonprovenbibliometricprinciples

Arerefreshedonceperyear

Eliminatetheriskofmanipulation

Cancorrectforcitationbehavioranddatabasecoverage(SNIPandSJR)

Providemultidimensionalinsightsintojournalperformance

Canallowforadirectcomparisonofjournals,independentoftheirsubjectclassification
(SNIPandSJR)

Arepubliclyandfreelyaccessibleatwww.journalmetrics.comandarealsointegrated
intotheScopusJournalAnalyzer

SourceNormalizedImpactperPaper(SNIP):
SNIPmeasurescontextualcitationimpactbyweightingcitationsbasedonthetotalnumber
ofcitationsinasubjectfield.Theimpactofasinglecitationisgivenhighervalueinsubject
areaswherecitationsarelesslikely,andviceversa.SNIPisdefinedastheratioofajournal's
rawimpactperpublicationandthecitationpotentialinitssubjectfield.Thisallowsfor
evaluationofajournalcomparedtoitscompetitionandprovidesmorecontextual
information,givingabetterpictureoftheimpactdependingonthecitationbehaviorinthe
field.

ImpactperPublication(IPP):
TheImpactperPublicationmeasurestheratioofcitationsinayear(Y)toscholarlypapers
publishedinthethreepreviousyears(Y1,Y2,Y3)dividedbythenumberofscholarly
paperspublishedinthosesameyears(Y1,Y2,Y3).TheImpactperPublicationmetricis
usingacitationwindowofthreeyearswhichisconsideredtobetheoptimaltimeperiodto
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accuratelymeasurecitationsinmostsubjectfields.Takingintoaccountthesamepeer
reviewedscholarlypapersonlyinboththenumeratoranddenominatoroftheequation
providesafairimpactmeasurementofthejournalanddiminishesthechangeof
manipulation.

SCImagoJournalRank(SJR):
SJRisaprestigemetricbasedontheideathatnotallcitationsarethesame.WithSJR,the
subjectfield,qualityandreputationofthejournalhaveadirecteffectonthevalueofa
citationandtheimpactthatjournalmakes.Inadditiontheprestigeofacitationisweighted
overallcitationshandedouttothatjournal.SJRisasizeindependentindicatoranditranks
journalsbytheir'averageprestigeperarticle'andcanbeusedforjournalcomparisonsin
scienceevaluationprocesses.

Moreinformationonthemetricsandapublicallyavailableoverviewofalljournalmetrics
valuescanbefoundhere:www.journalmetrics.com

15. Whatarecitations?
InthecontextofScopusmetrics,acitationiswhenanarticlefromajournaliscitedbyan
authorinanotherjournalarticle,usuallyrelevanttothespecificfield.Citationsarevery
importantforauthors,asahighcitationcountnormallyindicatesthattheworkbeingcited
hasvalueforotherresearchers.Itisveryimportantinthejournalevaluationprocessthat
thecombinedcitationsofarticlesinajournalareidentified,ascitationsalreadyinScopus
databasejournalsindicatethatresearchersinthefieldhavealreadyidentifiedthejournalas
onewhichhasvaluedarticlesandothermaterial.
16. Whatisthehindex?
Thehindexisanindextoquantifyabodyofscientificresearchoutputandwassuggestedby
JorgeE.Hirsch,aphysicistatUCSD,asatoolfordeterminingtheoreticalphysicists'relative
quality.ThehindexisalsocalledtheHirschindexorHirschnumber.Itisanindexthat
attemptstomeasureboththescientificproductivityandtheapparentscientificimpactofa
scientist.Theindexisbasedonthesetofthemostcitedpapersandthenumberofcitations
thattheyhavereceived.Thehindexcanbecalculatedforanygroupofscientificpapers.
Mostfrequentlythehindexisusedtomeasurescientificoutputofanauthor,buttheh
indexcanalsobecalculatedforaninstitution,countryorjournal.
AnhindexofXmeansthatNppapershaveatleastXcitationseach,andtheother(NpX)
papershaveatmostXcitationseach.
17. Whatisconsideredalocal/regionaljournal?
Alocalorregionaljournalisonewheretheaimsandscopearelimitedtointerestfroma
certainregionorcountryonly.Thediversityoftheauthorship,readershipandeditorial
boardofthesejournalsisgenerallyonewheretheyalmostallcomefromthesameregionor
country.Theyareoftenpublishedonlyinthecountrysownlanguage.Thiswillmeanthat
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thereadershipisoftenrestrictedtothatcountryorregionsreadersorinternational
researcherswhocanreadthesamelanguage.
Ifrelevantcontentispublished,aregionalornationalfocuscansometimesgivejournalsa
competitiveadvantageovertrulyinternationaljournals.Wellwritten,locallyorientated
materialhasthepotentialtomakeasignificantacademiccontributiontothewiderscientific
community.
18. Whatisconsideredaninstitutionaljournal?
Manyacademicinstitutionsworldwidehavetheirownpublishingorganizationsthatpublish
theirownscientificjournals.Theprimarypurposeofthesejournalsisasarepositoryfor
materialgeneratedwithintheinstitutionorbyauthorsaffiliatedtotheinstitution.These
journalsareconsideredtobeinstitutionaljournals.TheScopusCSABrecognizesthatsuch
journalsmayserveanimportantinstitutionalpurposeforlocalhistoricalandpolitical
purposes,andinencouraginglocalresearchersontothepublicationladder.However
becauseoftheirlocalizedapproachtothedisseminationofscholarlyoutputsthisdoesnot
thentranslateintothebroaderexpectationsandrequirementsforinclusioninan
internationaldatabase.
Someacademicinstitutionshoweverhavebroadenedtheirpublishingroleandnowoffera
widergeographicalfocustotheirjournals,includinginvolvementoftheinternational
academiccommunity.Thesecanbecomeestablishedpublishingorganizationsintheirown
rightastheyrecognizethevalueofthisbusinessmodel.
19. Whatisconsideredaninternationaljournal?
Aninternationaljournalisajournalwheretheaimsandscopeareofinteresttoawider
internationalscientificcommunitywithinaspecificsubjectfield.Moreover,aninternational
journalhasagooddiversityofauthors,readersandeditorialboardmemberswith
representationfromdifferentregionsandcountries.Somejournalsmayhavean
InternationalAdvisoryBoardtorepresentthisinternationality.
Thepublishedcontentshouldalsobeinlinewiththestatedaimsandscopeandbeof
interesttotheinternationalscientificcommunity.Note:justthewordInternational
reflectedintheactualtitleofthejournaldoesnotmakethejournalaninternationaljournal.
20. Whatdoesaneditorneedtodobeforethesubmissionprocessforinclusioninthejournal?
AskyourselfDoesthejournalmeettheminimumcriteria?Ifnot,rethinkthejournal
sectionsthatstilldonotmeetthecriteria.BeforesubmittingajournalforScopusreview,itis
advisedtocheckthefollowingitems:
Doesthejournalpublishpeerreviewedcontent?
DoesthejournalhaveanISSNregisteredattheInternationalISSNCentre?
DothearticlespublishedinthejournalhaveEnglishlanguageabstractsandEnglish
languagetitles?
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ArethecitedreferenceslistedinthearticlesprovidedinRomanscript?
Isthereanonlinepublicationethicsandpublicationmalpracticestatementavailablefor
thejournal?Formoreinformationaboutpublicationethics,seeforexample:Committee
onPublicationEthics(COPE)andtheElsevierEthicsinResearch&Publicationprogram:
http://www.elsevier.com/ethics/home
Checkthatthetitleofthejournalisuniqueanddescriptiveandisnotalreadybeenused
byotherjournals.ThisisanimportantissuetoresolveasanEditorialBoardand
Publisher.ItmayresultinachangeofjournaltitleandtheneedforadifferentISSN
number.Samejournaltitlescancauseproblemswithauthorswhobelievetheyare
submittingarticlestoaspecificjournalbutinfactitmaybesubmittingtoadifferent
one.Thishasethicalimplicationsaswell.
Doesthejournalhaveapublicationhistoryofatleasttwoyears?Donotethatajournal
suggestionmayberejectedforreviewifthepublicationhistoryistooshorttoreview.
Havethethreemostrecentjournalissuesor9articlesplusatableofcontentsreadyfor
uploadingassampledocumentsinPDFformat.
DeterminewhoisthemainhandlingEditorofthejournal.Thisisthepersonwhois
overallresponsibleforthepeerreviewprocessandmanagingthejournal.Ifthereis
morethanonemainhandlingeditor,youcannominateuptothreemainhandling
editors.
HaveaURLforonlineprofessionalinformationofthemainhandlingeditor(s).For
example,curriculumvitae/resume,institutionalorpersonalhomepage,preferably
showingscientificcredibility,currentaffiliationandaffiliationhistory,awardsandgrants
received.
UndertakeaselfevaluationusingtheScopusCSABguidelinestodetermineifthetitle
youwishtosuggestmeetstheScopusjournalselectioncriteria.

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STAGE 2: Scopus title evaluation


Submission process

1. WhatistheCSABandwhocomprisestheCSAB?
TheScopusContentSelection&AdvisoryBoard(CSAB)isaninternationalgroupof
scientists,whoareexpertsintheirrespectivesubjectfield.TheindependentCSABis
responsibleforreviewingthejournalsthataresuggestedtoScopus.

TheCSABcomprises14SubjectChairs,eachrepresentingaspecificsubjectfield(s).The
BoardalsoworkswiththeScopusteamtounderstandhowScopusisused,whatcontentis
relevantforusersandwhatenhancementsshouldbemade.Therecommendationsofthe
CSABdirectlyinfluencetheoveralldirectionofScopusinrelationtoitsmaincontentandthe
prioritizationofnewcontentrequests.ThisensuresthatScopusstaysinternationaland
relevant,andmostimportantlyensuresthequalitycontent.

TheCSABundertaketheirreviewofajournalsubmittedtoScopususingthemaincriteriafor
evaluationwhichcanbefoundhere.

2. HowdoesajournalneedtobesuggestedfortheScopustitleevaluationprocess?
FirstcheckifthejournalyouwouldliketosuggestforScopusreviewiseligible.The
questionsinStage1Presubmissionwillhelpyoutodetermineifthejournaliseligiblefor
Scopus.
AllScopusjournalsuggestionsneedtobesubmittedviatheonlinesuggestionform.When
enteringtheformyouwillbeaskedtochecktheAgreementconfirmingthatthejournal
youaresuggestingmeetsallofthestatedminimumcriteria.
Whencompletingtheform,weaskyoutoprovidedetailedjournalinformation:allquestions
inthesuggestionformaremandatory,andyouwillalsoberequiredtouploadsample
articlesinordertocompletethesuggestion.Whenyouhavesubmittedthecompletedform,
youwillreceiveanautomaticconfirmationletterthatthejournalissubmittedandwillenter
thereviewprocess.
Theconfirmationlettermerelyconfirmsthatthejournalsuggestedhasbeenreceivedand
willbeconsideredforreviewanddoesnotguaranteethatitwillbeindexedinScopus.
3. FollowingsubmissiontoScopus,howlongwillittakebeforegettingaresponse?
AftersuggestingajournalforinclusionintoScopus,youwillreceiveanimmediate
acknowledgementemailthatconfirmsthatthejournalsuggestedhasbeenreceivedandwill
beconsideredforreview.However,itdoesnotguaranteethatsaidjournalwillbeindexedin
ScopusasitmustgothroughthejournalselectionprocessandreviewbytheCSABbeforea
decisionismade.Dependingonthenumberofsuggestionsreceivedandtheavailable
informationaboutthesuggestedtitle,itwilltake612monthsbeforethereviewprocessis
completed.
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4. Whathappensafterthejournalissubmitted?
Aftersubmission,thejournalwillbecheckedtodetermineifitisindeedeligibleforScopus
review.Ifthejournalisnotacceptedatthisstageforreview,thiswillbecommunicatedto
theoriginalsuggestorincludingthesupportingreason(s).
IfthejournaliseligibleforScopusreview,allrequiredinformationwillbeobtainedand
addedtothefilebytheScopusTitleEvaluationteam.Ifneeded,thepublisherwillbeasked
tocompleteaPublisherInformationForminordertoprovideorcorrectinformationabout
thejournal.
Onceallinformationiscompleteandthejournalsuggestionisfullyenrichedthatmeans
itisallcompletedthejournalwillbesenttotherelevantSubjectChairoftheindependent
ScopusContentSelection&AdvisoryBoard(CSAB)forreviewaccordingtotheScopus
journalselectioncriteria.

5. WhatarethemainareasthatareconsideredbytheScopusCSABreviewprocess?
SubjectexpertsoftheScopusCSABreviewtitlesusingbothquantitativeandqualitative
measures.Theselectioncriteriathatareusedinthereviewprocessaregroupedinfivemain
categories:JournalPolicy,Content,JournalStanding,RegularityandOnlineAvailability.
JournalPolicy
Convincingeditorialconcept/policy
Typeofpeerreview
Diversitygeographicdistributionofeditors
Diversitygeographicdistributionofauthors

QualityofContent
Academiccontributiontothefield
Clarityofabstracts
Qualityandconformitywithstatedaims&scope
Readabilityofarticles

JournalStanding
CitednessofjournalarticlesinScopus
Editorstanding

Regularity
Nodelayinpublicationschedule

OnlineAvailability
Contentavailableonline
Englishlanguagejournalhomepage
Qualityofhomepage
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6. WherecanIfindmoreinformationabouttheScopusreviewprocessandthestatusofthe
journalIsuggestedforreview?
DetailsabouttheScopusevaluationprocessandselectioncriteriacanbefoundhere.
IfyouhavespecificquestionsaboutScopustitleselectionorwanttoknowthestatusofthe
journalyousuggested,youcancontacttheScopusteambyemail:
titlesuggestion@scopus.com.
7. Howimportantisthetitleofthejournal?
Thetitleofthejournalisveryimportantnotonlyforpotentialauthorsbutalsofor
researcherswhoareusingScopusandotherdatabasestosearchforessentialresearch
relatedtotheirwork.Thetitlecanprojectaninternationalstatusandwithitthehigher
expectationthatthecompositionofitseditorialboardarediversifiedaswellas
international.Thetitlealsodenotesclearlythelinkstotheaimsandscopeofthejournaland
theexpectedcontent.SeealsothequestionsonjournaltitlesintheFAQsforEditors

Forexample:IfthetitleincludesthenameofacountrysuchasTheFrenchJournalof
Informaticsitwouldbeassumedthattheaimsandscopewouldbefocusedoninformaticsin
Franceand(apartof)thearticlesarelikelywrittenintheFrenchlanguage,orinformatics
internationallybutwrittenintheFrenchlanguage.Thisdifferencewouldbeseenclearlyin
theaimsandscopeofthejournal.

Ifsettingupanewjournalwithanappropriatenameitisveryimportanttocheckfor
journalswithsimilarnamesinordertoensurethatthereisnoconfusionwiththeseandyour
owninthemajordatabases.Havingsimilarnamesmaybeconsideredagoodideabysome
EditorandEditorialBoardsinordertoaccessauthorsalreadypublishinginthatfieldor
becauseofpotentialprestigebyusingsimilartitle.However,thisistobeavoidedasitisnot
ethicalpractice(SeetheCOPETransparencyguidelineshere).

8. WhatisexpectedofajournalwithInternationalinthetitle?
SomejournalsmaymisrepresenttheirjournalbyinappropriateuseofthewordInternational
inthetitle.Thereisanexpectationinusingthatwordthatthejournalcontent,Editorial
Boardand/orAdvisoryBoard,scopeandphilosophyofthejournalwillreflectinternational
qualityandcontent.ThisdoesnotmeanoneortwomembersoftheEditorialBoardbeing
fromanothercountrythatmayormaynotreflectthemainlanguageofthejournal.Itneeds
tobeexplicitwhythejournalisconsideredtobeInternationalinallaspectsofits
publication.
ItmustalsohaveinternationalEditorialBoardmemberswhoareactiveinthemanagement
ofthejournalanditspolicies.Anypersonnamedinrelationtoaspecificroleonthejournal
musthaveagreedtotheirnamebeingaffiliatedtothatjournal.Theremaybedifferent
modelsofinternationalrepresentationonjournals,suchasanInternationalAdvisoryBoard,
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anInternationalCouncilandtheremaybeInternationalmembersonthemainEditorial
Board.ItmustbeveryclearwhotheEditororEditorinChiefisandanyotherjournalsection
Editorsandwhattheirroleis.

Inaddition,aninternationaljournalmustalsopublishinternationalcontentoratleast
demonstratethatitisstrivingtoachievethis.Itisnotonlyaboutinternationalreadership
butalsowhatthejournalrepresents.

9. Howimportantisthewebsiteinformationtothesubmissionprocess?
Giventhatwenowliveandworkina'technological'ageandtheWorldWideWebhas
becomethemajorsourceofcommunication,itisessentialthatanyinformationrelatedto
presentationandcontentofajournalshouldreflectthequalityofitscontent.
InrelationtotheScopusreviewprocess,thejournalwebsiteistheprimaryplaceforthe
reviewersoftheCSABtovisitinordertoevaluatethecriteriaforScopusinclusion.
Ifthereviewerisunabletofindtheinformationinrelationtoallaspectsofthereview
processonthejournalwebsite,thenitwillbeverydifficulttoassessthequalityofthe
journalforinclusioninScopus.Itisalsoimportantthatthewebsiteandthejournalbeclearly
visibleandseparatedfromothermarketingorpromotionmaterialofthepublisher.For
exampleauniversitypublishedjournalbeingplacedinthemiddleofthemainUniversity
websiteratherthanadedicatedjournalhomepage.

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10. Whatshouldthewebsiteinformationinclude?
Thejournalwebsitemustinclude:

InformationabouttheEditor/EditorinChiefandthestructureandnamesofthe
EditorialBoardsand/orInternationalAdvisoryBoardmembers.
Authorguidelinesexplainingthemanuscriptsubmissionprocessandcriteria.
Informationonhowthepeerreviewprocessisorganized.
Publishingethicsguidelines.Thepublishingethicsguidelinesshouldmakeitclearwhat
actiontheEditororEditorialBoardwilltakeifanymalpracticeissuspected.
(ifrelevant)ClearinformationaboutcriteriaandcostsofOpenAccessoptions.
Informationabouthowpotentialreaderscangetaccesstothefulltextarticles
publishedinthejournal.
Informationabouttheroleandorganizationofthepublisherofthejournal.

Asapotentialauthoritisimperativethatanywebsitecanbefoundandviewedeasilyand
hasavisualimpactonaccessingitwhichisreflectiveofaprofessionaljournal.Thereviewers
oftheCSABwillneedsimilaraccessduringthereviewprocess,especiallytoreviseany
updatedinformationsincetheinitialsubmissionmaterial.

11. Howimportantisittokeepthewebsiteupdated?
Uptodateinformationonthejournalwebsiteisveryimportantasitdemonstratesclearly
anongoingcommitmenttothedevelopmentandsustainabilityofthejournal.Ifajournal
canbeseentohaveareducingnumberofarticlesovertime,ormajortimegapsbetween
oneissueandtheotherthenthisraisesquestionsofwhetherthatjournalisreceiving
enougharticles(copyflow)tosustainitself.

Oneofthemostimportantissuesistoensurethatalllinksonthewebsiteareworkingand
alsothatanylinkscreatedfunctionappropriatelyandhavethemostuptodateinformation.
EditorsneedtoensurethatallinformationrelatedtoEditorialBoardmembers,office
contactsandpublishersareaccurateinordertoensureitisnotmisrepresentingitself.

SeeCOPEPrinciplesofTransparencyandBestPracticeinScholarlyPublishinghere.

12. WhatshouldaPublisherdoifthejournalinformationispartofaUniversitydepartmentor
aSociety?
Itisrecommendedthatwheneverpossiblethatajournalpublicationhasitsownwebsiteor
homepageifitispublishedonbehalfofaSocietyorInstitute.Thistoensurethatthe
informationandcontentcanbereadilyseenandconsideredasadistinctpublicationinits
ownrightbypotentialauthors,readersandthereviewersoftheScopusCSAB.
OftenweseethatthePublisherofajournalisaUniversityorInstitute.Itisessentialthatif
thisisthesituationthatthevariousdepartmentsensurethatsimilarnamedjournalsarenot
publishedfromthesameplaceandthatifmorethanonejournalpublishedbythe
University,thatthereissomeconsistencybetweeninformationprovidedonthewebsite.
OccasionallythereisalsoconfusionbyUniversitiesincloseproximity,publishingjournalson
thesametopicswithsimilartitlesandcompetingforthesamekindofarticles.
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Formoreinformation,visitinfo.scopus.com.

IftheSocietyisasmalloneitneedstobeclearwhereitisseekingitsauthorsfrom,asifitits
membershiponly,thenthiscanhaveanimpactonthenumberofpapersbeingsubmittedto
thejournalandalsoimpactonitslongtermsustainabilitytobeincludedinaninternational
databasesuchasScopus.

13. HowimportantistheabilitytotranslatethewebsiteinformationintoEnglish?
Thisquestionislinkedintotheaimsandscopeofthejournal,andwhetheritisonlyfor
authorswhowriteandspeakinonespecificlanguage.However,theEnglishlanguagehas
emergedasbeingthemostcommonlanguageforinternationalcommunicationinscientific
publishing.Longtermaccessibilityofthejournalarticlesandcontentfortheinternational
researchcommunitymaybesomethingtoconsider.
Websitetranslationisthefirststeptosharinginternationallytoenablecrossnational
collaborationandcommunication.Theaimisthatthiswillfurtherenhancethecitationof
thearticlesaswellasthejournal.
ManyjournalsfromtraditionallynonEnglishspeakingcountrieshaveanoption'button'
wherebythewebsiteandthekeyinformationisautomaticallytranslatedintoEnglish.This
doesnothowevermeantranslationofthearticles,althoughalljournalssubmittingfor
inclusioninScopusmusthaveEnglishlanguagetitlesandabstracts.
Giventhatresearchandscholarlycontributionsbyauthorsneedmaximumaccessibilityin
ordertoincreasetheirowncitationsaswellasthoseofjournalstheypublishin,itisnoted
thatthereisanincreaseinthenumberofjournalsthatnowprovideatleastsomeoftheir
articlesinEnglishinadditiontoalocallanguage.Thisistobeencouraged,andisespecially
importantforauthorswhoseresearchisofinternationalrelevanceinaspecificfieldbut
unlessaccessibleinacommonlanguagemaynotthenachievetherecognitionitrequiresto
becomeinternationallyknown.

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Formoreinformation,visitinfo.scopus.com.

Review decisions by the CSAB

1. WhatarethemaindecisionsmadebytheScopusCSAB?
IntheScopustitleevaluationprocess,thereviewersoftheCSABdecideifajournalwillbe
selectedforScopuscoverage(accepted)ornot(rejectedordeferred).Decisionsmadebythe
CSABSubjectChairsarefinalandwillbeaccompaniedwithreviewercommentstosupport
thedecision.Incaseofrejection,anenddatewillbegivenafterwhenthetitlemaybe
suggestedforScopusreviewagain(theresubmissiondate).
2. Whatdoesresubmissiondatemean?
Incaseofrejection,aconditionalembargodatewillbegivenafterwhichthejournaltitle
maybesuggestedforScopusreviewagain.Theembargoperiodcanrangefrom1year,18
months,2years,3yearsto5years.
3. HowdoestheScopusCSABdecideonhowlongtowaitbeforeresubmittingajournal?
Theembargoperiodcanrangefrom1year,18months,2years,3yearsto5yearsandis
dependentonhowlongthereviewersthinkitmaytakebeforetheevaluationfeedbackcan
beaddressedandtakeeffect.Feedbackisnormallygivenasanoverallcomment,together
withpositivecommentsonkeyareaswithmoreconstructivecommentsonareasfor
improvement,allinkeepingwiththekeyassessmentareasofinclusioninScopus.
4. HowlongdoesthejournalstayintheScopusdatabase?
OnceajournalisselectedforScopusitwillbecoveredfromtheyearofselectiononwards.
JournalsthatareselectedforScopuswithinthethirdpublicationyearwillbecoveredfrom
thefirstpublicationyearonwards.Ifcompletejournalarchivesareavailableindigital
format,thepublishermayrequesttoaddbackfilestoScopus.JournalsselectedforScopus
willbecoveredinthedatabaseonacontinuousbasis;however,theperformanceofjournals
includedinScopusisbeingevaluatedandpoorperformingjournalsmaybediscontinued.
Scopusreservestherighttoreevaluateandremovejournalsasitseesfitandjournalswitha
provencaseofpublicationmalpracticewillbecancelledforScopuscoverageandremoved
fromthedatabase.
5. WhatcanEditorsandpublishersdotoensurethatthejournalqualityismaintainedonce
includedintheScopusdatabase?
EditorsneedtoensurethattheycommunicateregularlywiththeirBoardmembers,
updatingauthorandreviewerinformationaswellaspromotinggoodpracticeisalso
recommended.PublishersshouldgivetheirScopusincludedEditorsandjournalssupportto
maintaincommunicationnetworksandthequalityofthewebsiteandmarketingofthe
journaltothewiderscholarlycommunity.Oncearticles/journalsbegintoincreasetheir
citationstherewillbeanincreasedinterestinthejournalitselfanditsaimsandscopeand
futuredirection.

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Formoreinformation,visitinfo.scopus.com.


AlltheScopusselectioncriterianeedtobemaintainedbutmostimportantlythejournal
needstodevelopandexpanditsreadershipandauthorship.Editorshaveamajorroleto
playinensuringthatthejournalsmaintaintheirqualitywhilealsoensuringthatthereis
ongoinggrowthandaccessibilityofthecontentofthejournalbytheresearchcommunity.

Regularmonitoringofthewayinwhichotherauthorsandjournalsarecitingthejournalis
anexcellentmonitoringtoolthatindicatesthatbeinginScopusismakinganimpact.Editors
canmonitorthisthroughScopusitselfandbyusingthejournalmetricsprovidedforScopus
coveredjournals.

6. AfterbeingindexedinScopus,isthereapossibilitythatajournalmightstillberemoved
fromScopusifthereisanincreasedreductioninthequalityofthecontentinthatjournal?
TheScopusCSABarecommittedtomaintainingthequalityofalljournalsandpublications
includedintheScopusdatabase.However,onceselectedthisdoesnotmeanthatthe
journalremainsthereindefinitely.TocontinuetobecoveredinScopus,thePublisher,Editor
andEditorialBoard(s)haveacommitmenttoensurethatthequalityonwhichitwasjudged
forinclusionismaintainedandisworthyofremaininginaninternationaldatabase.
Publisherscanprotectajournal'sreputationandmaintainitsqualitybyensuringthatit
practicespublicationethicsatalltimesandensuresthatitsEditorialteamandauthorsdo
thesameatthelevelofthejournalarticle.Thisisanessentialprerequisiteforremainingin
theScopusdatabase.

7. Whatadviceandguidanceisavailabletoanypublisherwishingtodevelopanewjournal
forinclusionintheScopusdatabase?
PublishersoreditorswhowishtohavetheirtitleacceptedforScopuscoverageare
recommendedtoconsulttheScopusinfositeandtheadvisorydocumentwrittenbythe
CSAB.Inaddition,thequestionsintheseFAQsaswellasthoserelatedtotheJournalEditor
rolewillbeofvalue.

Forquestionsaboutthereviewprocessitselfyoucancontact:titlesuggestion@scopus.com.

Writtenby:KarenHolland(CSABSubjectChair),DerrickDuncombe,ElizabethDyasandWim
Meester(allthreememberoftheScopusTeam).

LastUpdated:September2014

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Formoreinformation,visitinfo.scopus.com.

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