How to speed up indexing in Scopus and Web of Science

The international resources Web of Science (WOS) and Scopus (SciVerse Scopus) are the most authoritative search platforms where scientific articles, publications, bibliographic and analytical materials are posted.

The electronic journal WOS covers disciplines from technical and applied sciences (25%), humanities (30%) and natural sciences (about 45%). The journal Scopus, unlike WOS, does not contain content on the humanities and the arts, but includes about 17% of publications on the social sciences and 83% on the natural sciences and technical disciplines. Scopus reviews more than 5,000 scholarly publishers and about 24,000 journals worldwide.

Speed and timing of article indexing

The process from the review and approval of the application to the indexing of the article in Web of Science or Scopus usually takes up to 60-90 days, depending on the subject of the publication. But this term is arbitrary, and in practice it can last for six months or even a year. There is a logical explanation and objective reasons for this. The fact is that the journals Web of Science and SciVerse Scopus are interested only in high-quality content, which explains the strict selection and thorough check of the material. Therefore, the author needs to be careful when preparing and adapting the material to a particular edition, because returning the article for revision and editing will delay the period of the already slow indexing process.

So, the article has passed peer review, and the author has received notification that the publication has already been assigned to a specific category and issue. Next, the publication sends the author the article in PDF format for the final check of the content for errors and correctness of the information filled in. The indexing point is the official date the publication was posted on the publication's website.

What factors affect the speed of article indexing

The process of indexing articles on the platforms is continuous, and the speed depends on a number of factors:

1. The periodicity of the issue and the functional activity of the journal.
2. Content topics (technical and natural science topics are indexed faster, as they cover fewer scientific publications, and applications for publication, respectively, also less);
3. Journal status and rating (requests for placement in the Q1 category are always more than in Q4).
4. The internal policy of the scientific publication, the algorithm of the verification processes.
5. The time of year (the activity of publications is seasonal, which can delay the verification period).
6. The literacy of the author and his skills in drafting accompanying documents and business correspondence.
7. Dates of submission of the application for placement of the article in the journal (beginning or end of the current month).

Also, force majeure situations, of which no publication is immune, may affect the speed of indexing. Therefore, an author should provide for all the risks and take into account the above factors in advance in order to speed up indexing in Scopus and Web of Science. You should be prepared for the fact that after the initial approval and even placement in the article, it can be withdrawn if there are good reasons for this. After all, it is not the journal that is responsible for indexing, but the database.

If your article is not indexed for a long time, you need to contact technical support, indicating the name of the author (co-author), date, category and issue number of the publication, where the material was defined.

"Article Academy" provides services of publishing articles in Scopus and Web of Science. We have ideally mastered the process of preparing scientific articles and accompanying documentation, we know the mechanisms of publication and review, we know how to select topics and increase citations.