Biology and Life Sciences Scopus Journals

Scopus - What's All The Hype About

• Scopus is one of the most prominent and largest indexing databases of journals and books in the academic world.
• Some of the benefits of publishing in Scopus indexed journals include –
• increased visibility of one’s publication(s),
• the rigorous peer review process, and
• reaching a global audience.
• Scopus is the most recommended database because researchers can easily find relevant and reliable research and access data that can help them select the most appropriate journal for their research article.
• The research publishing industry has grown significantly, and a new journal is launched almost every day.
• Therefore, it is necessary to identify and eliminate underperforming and predatory journals from the list while selecting the right journal to publish.
• Scopus is a journal database that includes only –
• reputable,
• high-performing,
• high-impact,
• peer-reviewed journals.
• Journals or publishers added to the Scopus list undergo a rigorous review process by subject matter experts from the Content Selection and Advisory Board (CSAB).
• The board determines title eligibility and removes underperforming and predatory journals.
• The board of trustees and Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) decide whether to include a new journal, remove an indexed journal, or continue with a journal.
• Scopus and CSAB ensure that users get the best possible evidence for their work and that only trustworthy journals and their content are available to researchers.
• For years, having published research has been a requirement for most scholars wishing to become tenured at their respective universities and higher education institutions, but recently it has become more common for universities to only recognize research published in prestigious indexed and abstracted journals.
• These necessities stem from the fact that the indices give specific measures that rank the success of the journal and the impact of each author’s citations.
• High ratings assist authors and their affiliated universities in gaining recognition within the academic community and in accessing greater research funding, which helps their careers and programs thrive.
• Some of the most popular indexes and summary services include –
• Web of Science,
• Scopus,
• INSPEC,
• PsycInfo and others.
• Because of the prestige of these indexes, included journals receive a greater number of submissions for each issue, increasing competition for each coveted spot in the journal.
• With greater competition comes higher quality papers in the submission queue and lower acceptance rates, which means it’s much harder to get accepted into these publications than those that are not yet indexed.
• The indexing push means that for many scholars, the stress of getting their research published goes far beyond just getting accepted.
• All journals demand their submissions to be polished and ready for peer review, indicating that it can be a pivotal mistake not to have one’s manuscript professionally reviewed before submission.
• Fortunately, there are many professional services, such as Bioleagues, available to help authors and researchers at every stage of their publishing journey by offering comprehensive and professional editorial services, including editing and proofreading, and journal selection.
• Bearing the stress of indexing in mind, we recognize that not all researchers are indexing experts, even if their careers rely on index inclusion.
• So, this article offers a comprehensive insight into one of the biggest indices, Scopus, and all of its requirements.

The Constant Reassessment Of Journal Quality

  - In addition to the selection criteria, there is a continuous process of monitoring and reassessment, 

  - which ensures that the quality of indexed journals must be maintained.
Four criteria are considered for the re-evaluation of an indexed journal –

• the overall performance of the journal since its indexing or since the last assessment was carried out;
• the standards of the peer review and publication processes since its indexing or since the last assessment was carried out;
• the quality of data retention since its indexing or since the last assessment was carried out;
• all vital data metrics, including –

1. periodicity,
2. number of original articles,
3. diversity,
4. novelty,
5. etc.,

since its indexing or since the last assessment was carried out.

Poor Journal Performance

• A journal’s underperformance is determined by analyzing three metrics –

1. Self-citation rate (more self-citation)
2. Total citation rate (minus citations)
3. CiteScore (Lower CiteScore compared to any other peer-reviewed journal).

• In conclusion, the information or data provided by Scopus is strongly recommended, and therefore, it is necessary for this purpose of indexing to provide reliable content, to include reputable journals (excluded in a predatory manner), and to update the database regularly.

The Origins Of Scopus

• Founded by Elsevier in 2004, Scopus has quickly grown into the largest index and citation database in the global market today.
• Scopus is comprised of research in a wide variety of interdisciplinary subjects but classifies all their content into four categories –

1. the health sciences,
2. the life sciences,
3. the social sciences, and
4. the physical sciences.

• It also includes a wealth of research from –

1. over twenty thousand peer-reviewed journals;
2. over one hundred thousand books; and
3. features over seventy million articles and chapters.
4. Although such an important index, each publication included in the Scopus database is subject to a period of rigorous review to verify its quality and contribution to the scientific community.

Why Is Scopus Considered So Special?

With its status as the largest index in the market, many universities are beginning to require their professors to publish in journals featured in Scopus in order to publicize their prestige as a university and also draw attention to new students as well as acquire research funding. Although Scopus does not feature things like the Web of Science Funding Data Index, Scopus does have a variety of features that set it apart from Web of Science and other influential indices. These unique features include –

• The Treasure Trove Of Historical Content That It Consists Of

Scopus features curated content dating back to 1788.

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