Currently there are numerous reputable scientometric databases, and one of the largest in the world is Scopus. It was created in 2004 by the Elsevier publishing company. According to the latest indicators, this platform contains up to 24,000 scientific publications. Its functions provide the scientist with unique opportunities of monitoring and analyzing the scientific potential, so as to expand and deepen their expertise.
Scopus indexes journals, books and book series, conference materials and patents in many fields of science: natural sciences, engineering, humanities, social sciences and the arts. The most active journals are in the following fields: psychology, economics, medical sciences, chemistry, physics, biology, engineering.
The information in this database is used by many organizations working in the scientific field, analyzing data, creating ratings. The archive depth dates from 1823.
The Scopus database includes many international publishing houses, such as Elsevier, SAGE, Springer, Brill, Cambridge and Oxford Universities and others. Scopus is distinguished by its peer review policy and ensures that the sources are thoroughly considered by experts.
Scopus very seriously takes the journals it adopts into its database. It matters that the publication be of high quality and meet the main criteria, so that scientists can publish their works without worrying that the journal is a predator. To qualify for publication in the primary evaluation, it must have undergone initial and ongoing consideration.
Basic standards for selecting a publication in Scopus
- Journal articles must undergo mandatory peer review with process description in open access.
- An ISSN number and regular publishing of issues.
- The content must be of good quality, relevant and translated into academic English.
- Openly declare support for publishing ethics and practices.
Subsequently, if the journal meets the minimum and the abovementioned criteria, it shall be submitted to the Expert Council for consideration.
Indicators that affect the review process
- The journal should have its own editorial policy, which is to consist of expert editors in their subject area from different countries and the chosen method of peer review.
- Quality content that meets the goals and objectives of the publication.
- The journal has its own site with the English version.
There are certain requirements for publishing an article in a journal that is part of Scopus, because reviewers look at the content of the paper and its layout.
Main requirements
- The paper should indicate the relevance of the research, the novelty, its importance for science, results and conclusions. These are mandatory criteria, without which experts will not even read with the work.
- All references to other sources are made according to standards. In no case should there be any plagiarism or excessive self-citation in the paper. Such work is sure to be returned to the author, thereby damaging their reputation. The research should be unique.
- Each paper should use a scientific style characterized by a logic of thought, a structured and objective presentation. Synonyms are used in very small quantities. The paper should not be in conversational style, there is no explanation of the author or their evaluative judgments.
- The scientific paper must be original, never before published.
- The bibliography should be up-to-date, because the main task of scientific paper is to make research relevant, advanced and accessible to other scholars. The paper should not duplicate other inventions, contain outdated data and results.
- One must comply with the standards in the title, abstract, and keywords adopted in the subject areas wherein the experiments are carried out.
- Papers should be translated into academic English so that foreign reviewers can analyze them and other scholars from around the world can read them after publication.
- Each paper is written according to the IMRAD structure.
What is the use of indexing in this database for a scientist?
Due to open access and indexation, scientists have many opportunities, namely:
- They can freely search for other materials, authors, scientific organizations, using extensive search capabilities: year, language, scientist, keywords, links, sources and more.
- The scientist is given the opportunity to transmit data to Mendeley, EndNote, RefWorks and adjust notifications.
- The ORCID setting assists the researcher in finding collaborators and experts in their subject area, reviewing scientific organizations and discovering their developments.
- The author keeps track of the citation rate (Hirsch index), including the metrics of various journals (SJR, SNIP, CiteScore). These parameters help a scientist monitor trends and elaborate personal scientific publication strategy.
Scopus is described by its citation rates and then the scientist can keep track of scientometric changes, stay up-to-date on major trends, track which industries are now in the lead, and much more for research and publishing activities.
It maybe interesting: Ukrainian journals in Scopus and Web of Science→
The most important citation metrics in Scopus
SJR (SCImago Journal & Country Rank) | This platform works to evaluate the world indices of journals, countries, analyzing them and displaying data in the ranking tables. SJR assists in monitoring trends in science, which contributes to a better understanding of scientometric phenomena. |
SNIP (Source Normalized Impact Per Paper) | The metric was created by Hank Moed, a professor at Leiden University. It allows to track the level of citation and compare the research and publishing activities. SNIP factors in the number of references, the frequency of mentions of other works, and their impact in a particular subject area |
CiteScore (CS) | To calculate CiteScore, experts factor in the number of citations in three years. The developers of this metric believe that such a time period is optimal for calculation. CiteScore is updated on a monthly basis. It is available for the most active Scopus editions (journals, book series, conference materials, etc.) and is considered to be a more transparent indicator that does not include any special programs for its calculation |
Selection of scientific content
It happens with the help of the Scopus Content Selection & Advisory Board (CSAB). Independent scientific representatives from around the world, who research in various scientific subject areas and review world-class papers identify those publications that meet the rigorous criteria of this reference platform. Selection policy is constantly updated to provide service with only high quality and advanced research.
The Radar System
To detect and control the atypical behavior of journals, Scopus has created a Radar system that monitors their actions and, in the event of suspicious behavior, thoroughly verifies them.
The main causes that may be suspicious
- The journal begins to publish scientific articles too actively.
- High levels of plagiarism or excessive self-citation in the articles.
- The authors or editorial board change their location.
- Any complaints about the journal cause suspicion, etc.
Each year, Radar checks Scopus-indexed journals, updating its tools therefor.
Publishing Ethics Resource Kit (PERK)
Apart from quality audits, Scopus monitors the ethics of publishing, which created the online service Publishing Ethics Resource Kit (PERK). It helps all participants in the publishing process (scientists, editors, reviewers) resolve issues or even conflicts upon publishing a scientific article.
Also, this platform assists in adherence to all the rules of layout and content of scientific papers, protects the scientific world from publications of poor quality material, which contains plagiarism and false data that can harm humanity. PERK keeps an eye on any manifestations of fraud.
The Scopus Scientometric Database is a truly reputable and large-scale world-class platform. If a scientist or journal intends to become a part of it, they should understand the full responsibility of this decision. Furthermore, Scopus indexing is a new opportunity that will help all participants in the publishing process take productive steps in their activities.
For many years, Scientific Publications – Publ.Science company has been helping scientists around the world publish their works in journals from the Scopus list. If you are interested in publishing, contact our specialist via chat to ask any concerning questions and begin cooperation.
We also remind you about release "Web of Science – the cradle of world-class scientific literature".