How to Get your Journal Indexed in WoS and SCOPUS

October 29, 2011Dr. Mehrdad FahimiIntegrated Information Network

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Background

• Ministry of Health and Medical Education’s Initiative to get Medical Journals Indexed in Major A&I databases

• Level of Medical Research

• International Exposure

• International Collaboration

• Funding

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Comparison: Thomson Reuters (12000)

• Iran: 38 journals indexed in WoS– About 22 in Medicine

• Turkey: 74 journals indexed in WoS– About 40 in Medicine

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Comparison: Elsevier (Scopus)all subjects (18,500)

• Iran: 88 journals indexed

• Turkey: 188 journals indexed

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How to Get Indexed in WoS

The Foundation

Quality

Diversity Depth

Superior Collection Development

Unique Data

In-house Editorial Development Specialists

– ongoing detailed journal evaluation and selection processes.

Sciences – to 1900, A Century of Science

Social Sciences – to 1945

Arts & Humanities – to 1975

Journal selectivity, Cover-to-Cover Indexing,

Diversity, Consistency, Depth.

Author Cited References for over 110 years

Coverage of over 250 disciplines in the Sciences, Social Sciences, and Arts &

Humanities Comprehensive coverage in

all disciplines.

Web of Science

The Thomson Reuters Editorial process

• Our Goal • Build and maintain a multidisciplinary collection of world’s most important and

influential international and regional journals.• Professional librarians, information specialists, graduate degrees in science or

humanities.

• When are journals evaluated for coverage?• On an ongoing basis throughout the year.

Thomson Scientific Editorial Development

Journal Selection Process

Objective

Applied consistently to ALL publishers

Credible

• Cover to cover Indexing assures no gaps in the literature– All document types applied consistently across all titles to ensure precise searching

across disciplines

• Capture all cited references to articles in covered journals and to articles in journals not covered.

– ~40 million per year – consistently indexed – standardization

• What does this mean for the users at your institutions? -- presentation of “the best” body of journal information within their areas of interest.

Undergraduates – the vast majority just don’t know enough about individual journals to make these determinations on their own. They may simply take whatever they find -- and in the Web of Science they find quality by default.

Graduates/PhDs – Require a focus on what is most influential as their own academic intensity increases dramatically. They must quickly become familiar with the top publications of relevance to their studies.

Faculty – A multitude of benefits. • Efficient, Quality Current Awareness within their fields.• Citation-tracking capabilities across decades.• Where should I publish? – Web of Science journals are in fact the journals

included within the Journal Citation Reports. Research Administrators

What is the Impact of Funded Research and Where should I continue to Invest

Comprehensive Coverage and Consistent Indexing

• What is our Purpose?

• Build and maintain a multidisciplinary collection of world’s most important and influential international and regional journals.

• Who are we?• Professional librarians, information specialists, graduate

degrees in science or humanities.

• When are journals evaluated for coverage?• On an ongoing basis throughout the year.

Editorial Development - Background

Journal Selection Process

• Objective

• Applied consistently to ALL publishers

• Credible

Search >>> Measure >>> Evaluate

Web of Science - Journal Selection Process • Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE)

• Citation analysis• Self Citation Rate

• Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI)

• Arts & Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI)

Journal Selection Process

• Web of Science is comprehensive but not all inclusive.

• Small number of journals publish the bulk of significant scientific results.

• 300 journal produce more than half of what is cited and nearly a third of what is published.

• 3,000 journals produce 80% of published articles and 95% of cited articles.

• 2,200 journals evaluated annually– 15% accepted

First – Why is it that Thomson Scientific performs extensive journal “evaluations” to determine the content of its indexes?

Why this approach to journal coverage?

From the beginning, it was determined

by ISI founder Dr. Eugene Garfield

that ISI journal indexes would present

a select body of the world’s scholarly

journals – those which display a

significant level of international

influence within their respective

disciplines of study.

Basic Journal Publishing Standards

Editorial Content

Citation Analysis

The Components:

Notes:

We are “publisher-neutral”, no special consideration is given to a particular

publisher. Commercial, academic, open-access, etc. – all publishers are treated

the same with regard to individual journal evaluations.

Journal evaluations are “discipline-specific”, meaning that we only make

comparisons of journals publishing research within the same subject category.

In the Social Sciences, ISI utilizes between 50 and 60 subject categories.

Journal Evaluations - Traditional

Basic Journal Publishing Standards

Editorial Content

Citation Analysis

The Components:

• Timeliness of Publication – the ability to meet a pre-established publication schedule. This is very important, and is the reason why we typically examine three subsequently published issues at minimum, and often more.

• International Publishing Conventions – complete bibliographic information for journals, articles, and cited references.

• Peer Review• English language article titles, abstracts, and

keywords are highly desirable – in order to reach the widest possible audience.

ISI Journal Evaluations - Traditional

ISI Journal Evaluations - Traditional

Basic Journal Publishing Standards

Editorial Content

Citation Analysis

The Components:

• Editorial Scope

-- topics covered. Desirable?

-- the nature of overall content (original papers, review articles, “methods” papers, etc.)

-- appropriate intellectual level

• International Diversity of Editors and Authors – diversity is a very positive aspect as it serves to globalize the collection.

Subjective considerations are important here.

Essentially -- “What does this journal bring to the ISI database, to our collection of influential titles?”

Basic Journal Publishing Standards

Editorial Content

Citation Analysis

The Components:

• Journal Level – if the journal has been in existence for several years, a citation history will be available. This of course can be extremely valuable to the process. Measure of overall Citations, and approximate Impact Factor and Immediacy Index would be typical statistics utilized.

• Authors and Editors – an examination of individual citation histories for authors and editors is quite important, and in the case of a new journal is the only indication of the potential citation influence of that publication.

ISI Journal Evaluations - Traditional

…Journal SelectionCitation Analysis

• Crystallography– Fewer Articles, Fewer Citations

• Biotechnology, Genetics– Many Articles, Many Citations

• Social Sciences and Arts & Humanities– Slow citation growth

• Life Sciences– Rapid citation growth

Basic Journal Publishing Standards

Editorial Content

Citation Analysis

The Components:

ISI Journal Evaluations - Traditional

Comparing Results and Making Selections

Journals under evaluation are compared to journals that are already covered in the ISI database as well as other journals under evaluation – again this is done within the realm of specific subject categories.

In consideration of all factors, we look to include journals that display a clear level of influence as well as enhancing the subject coverage of the ISI database.

Going Forward...

... Journal Selection

Citation Analysis

- Established JournalsImpact Factor:

…the average number of times recent articles in a journal were cited in a particular year.

... Journal Selection

Citation Analysis

Emerging Infectious Diseases

2004 Impact factor: 5.643

Journal Citation Reports (JCR)Impact Factor Calculation

Journal: Emerging Infectious Diseases

Impact Factor: 5.643

Cites in 2004 to articles published in :

2003 = 1,5772002 = 1,572

02 + 03 = 3,149Number of articles published in:

2003 = 2812002 = 277

02 + 03 = 558Calculation:

Cites to recent articles 3,149 = 5.643Number of recent articles 558

Journal Citation Reports (JCR) -- Science EditionJournal: Emerging Infectious Diseases

Impact Factor: 5.643

Self citation rate: 8.80%

279 self citations / 3,149 Cites (02+03)

Journal of Original Research

374 articles published in 2004• 371 Original Research Papers• 3 Review Articles

Open Access Journal

…Journal Selection

Citation Analysis

Self Citations:

– 80% of all journals listed in the JCR Science Edition have self-citation rates of less than 20%.

– Excessive self-citation weakens the integrity of the journal’s Impact Factor.

– We look at self citation. If it is very high, it indicated a journal that either is very specialized, or it is indicative of a problem

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A Brief Check List of Points to Remember for WoS Indexing• Please study various articles and essays recommended

• TR will need three (3) consecutive, current issues, as they are published, for any evaluation.

– Electronic Journal: provide full access information for any electronic title.

– Print Journal:• Establish an ongoing, complimentary subscription to the title for Thomson Reuters• Send the most current issue of the journal• Forward each subsequent issue as soon as each is published to the following address:

Thomson Reuters ATTN: Publication Processing 1500 Spring Garden Street Fourth Floor Philadelphia, PA 19130 USA

• Provide a cover letter introducing your journal with the following information. – Full Journal Title

– ISSN

– Publisher's Name and Address

– Editor's Name and Address

– Brief statement on the unique features of the journal and how it is distinguished from other journals in the field.

Visit the Thomson Scientific Web site at

http://www.isinet.com

Free Essays

http://scientific.thomson.com/free/essays/

Journal Selection Essay http://scientific.thomson.com/free/essays/selectionofmaterial/journalselection/

There are also essays and explanations on the Impact Factor.

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How to Get Indexed in SCOPUS

What is the challenge?

Ove Kähler

Sr. Product Manager

Every day 5 titles are suggested to be added to Scopus …

Guess, what do these numbers stand for?

Where to draw the “Line of Relevance”?

Librarian: “I want to provide my users with an all-science database,

which indexes all relevant content.”

Researcher: “I want to make sure that all citations to all my papers

are being captured.”

Research manager: ”I want to have a complete picture of the

scientific output of my university/country.”

Scopus content has to address a diversity of needs …

Editor: “I want to track hot topics and see, how my journal is doing.”

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Content Selection by CSAB (Content Selection & Advisory Board)

• Please Read the Statement by CSAB on Advice to journal editors and publishers: Securing accession for a journal to Scopus

• http://www.info.sciverse.com/UserFiles/CSAB_statement_Advice_to_journal_editors_and_publishers.pdf

• Suggest a Title– http://suggestor.step.scopus.com/suggestTitle.cfm

• Review by the independent and international CSAB

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Minimum Suggestion Criteria

• The title should have peer reviewed content

• The title should be published on a regular basis (have a ISSN number that has been registered with the International ISSN Centre)

• The content should be relevant and readable for an international audience (for example have English language abstracts and references in Roman script)

• The title should have a publication ethics and publication malpractice statement

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Selection Criteria

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Some Comments by a CSAB Member (Dr. keyvan Kousha)

• Main Indicators– Content measures

• Citations to journal, quality of abstract, etc

– Structural issues

• Iranian Medical research: Good Impression on Reviewers

• Pitfalls:– Quality of abstract- This is the first thing reviewers read and decide on the journal.

At least one reviewer stressed that Iranian journals are relatively good in the region but they have poor abstract.

– Citation of editor – chief editor should be highly productive and cited person.

– Including international editorial board

– Website

Let’s apply the scoring system to two psychology journals,

both published in Eastern Europe, both started in 2005 …

Journal A Journal B

Category 1– Journal policy

Good editorial concept; convincing description of single-blind peer-review process; diversity among authors/editors.

Not very convincing editorial concept; no information about peer-review found; no international diversity among authors/editors.

23.1%

14.5%

25% of overall score

Journal A

Journal B

Category 2 – Presentation of Content

Substantial contribution to field.

Most papers cite exclusively Russian authors, i.e. do not take into account international research.

13.8%

11.3%

20% of overall score

Journal A

Journal B

Category 3 – Citedness

79% of all published articles have been cited >1. H-index of leading editors is 12.

Neither editors nor journal has received any citations in Scopus.

26.3%

0%

35% of overall score

Journal A

Journal B

Category 4 – Timeliness

Most recent issue as expected.

Publishing quarterly; last published issue six months before spotcheck (i.e. Dec 2008 vs Jun 2009).

10.0%

5.0%

10% of overall score

Journal A

Journal B

Category 5 – Accessibility

Homepage fully in English; good quality of homepage.

Homepage partly in English; fair quality of homepage.

9.5%

7.0%

10% of overall score

Journal A

Journal B

Result: The scoring system supports the reviewer in his task to position the two journals towards the “line of relevance”

Journal A

Reviewer:

accept journal

Journal B

Reviewer:

reject journal

http://suggestor.step.scopus.com/index.cfm

Admin

interface

Ask publishers to provide extra information and PDF’s

Reviewer

interface

Suggestor

interface

Suggest a title

…

Titles submitted for review per year

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How Can I Improve My Journal?

• Active recruitment of high-impact articles by courting researchers

• Offering authors better services

• Boosting the journal’s media profile

• More careful article selection

Thank you!