Scopus Journal Indexing Requirements
Scopus requires journals to have a publication history of at least one year, consistent peer review, English abstracts, an ISSN, and a professional editorial board before applying through the CSAB review process.
What Is Scopus?
Scopus is a bibliographic database maintained by Elsevier that indexes peer-reviewed literature including academic journals, conference papers, and books. It covers approximately 27,000 active journals from over 5,000 publishers worldwide.
Scopus indexing is one of the most recognized quality signals in academic publishing. Journals indexed in Scopus appear in the Scopus Source Title list, which many universities and funding bodies use to evaluate research output quality.
Scopus Minimum Criteria
Scopus evaluates journals against four types of criteria:
Journal policy criteria (all must be met):
- Peer reviewed
- Published in English or with English abstracts and titles
- Has a valid ISSN registered with the ISSN International Centre
- Content is relevant to an international audience
- Published on a regular, defined schedule
- Editorial board listed with institutional affiliations
- Aims and scope clearly stated
Publication history:
- At least one full year of regular publication (minimum 2 issues)
- No extended publication gaps
- Articles published on schedule, not in batches after long delays
Online availability:
- Full text freely accessible or behind a standard paywall
- Stable article URLs
- Article-level metadata available (preferably DOI-registered)
Ethics:
- Clear publication ethics policy
- Correction and retraction policy documented
The CSAB Review Process
Scopus journal applications are reviewed by the Content Selection & Advisory Board (CSAB), a panel of independent academic experts. The CSAB evaluates:
- Citedness — How often are articles from this journal cited in other Scopus-indexed publications?
- Editor standing — Are the Editor-in-Chief and board members recognized in their fields with Scopus h-indices?
- Author internationality — Are authors from multiple countries, or primarily from one institution?
- Citation analysis — Does the journal cite itself excessively? (Self-citation rate above 30% is a red flag)
- Content quality — Are articles methodologically sound and original?
Journals that pass the minimum criteria are evaluated on these qualitative dimensions. Most first applications from new journals are rejected.