About 200 researchers from Kazakhstan have published articles in a journal that is no longer indexed in Scopus.
They paid. They waited. They had their work published. And not a single one of them received any notification that Scopus had delisted the journal in June 2026.
This is exactly what a loss looks like in the academic world: not a scandal, not a warning—just a publication that, one day, is no longer considered valid. At a dissertation defense. During a performance review. In a grant application.
Over the course of two months—May and June—Scopus removed 37 journals from its database. Twelve of them were removed in June. Among them was a journal trusted by hundreds of Kazakhstani authors.
We don't find out about this in advance. Scopus doesn't give any advance notice. But we monitor every database update—precisely so that you won't end up on the list of those who found out too late.
The journal we warned about has been officially removed from Scopus
In the «Journals at Risk of Being Removed from Scopus» section, we systematically analyze journals at high risk of exclusion. Among the journals excluded in June is one that we examined in detail in Issue No. 9:
Retos (Spain) — Analysis in Issue No. 9, «Candidates for Removal from Scopus.». View the analysis →
A Spanish journal on physical education and sports sciences. At the time of our analysis, we identified the following characteristics of a high-risk publication:
— a sharp increase in the number of publications over a short period of time
— shorter review times
— active promotion through academic intermediaries
The June update to Scopus confirmed the forecast.
According to Scopus, Kazakhstani authors have published in this journal more than 55 articles. Taking co-authorship into account, this is About 200 researchers from Kazakhstan whose publications are no longer indexed.
📊 42 out of 48—and that's no coincidence
Between 2024 and 2026, 42 of the 48 journals we had flagged in the «Candidates for Removal from Scopus» section were officially removed from the database. This is the highest rate among teams that monitor scientific journals.
Official List of Excluded Journals (June 2026)
- ISSN: 2415-3184 | E-ISSN: 2522-9508
- Publisher: Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas
- Country: Ukraine
- Cause: Discontinuation
- Scopus link: View in Scopus
- ISSN: 0393-1420 | E-ISSN: 3103-3997
- Publisher: Medinlin Soft
- Country: Italy
- Cause: Journal Change Policy
- Scopus link: View in Scopus
- E-ISSN: 2980-7840
- Publisher: Green Wave Publications
- Cause: Discontinuation
- Scopus link: View in Scopus
- ISSN: 1823-4690
- Publisher: Taylor’s University
- Country: Malaysia
- Cause: Discontinuation
- Scopus link: View in Scopus
- ISSN: 1547-5816 | E-ISSN: 1553-166X
- Publisher: American Institute of Mathematical Sciences
- Country: USA
- Cause: Journal Change Policy
- Scopus link: View in Scopus
- ISSN: 1478-6427 | E-ISSN: 1478-6419
- Publisher: Informa / Taylor & Francis
- Cause: Discontinuation
- Scopus link: View in Scopus
- ISSN: 2224-1507 | E-ISSN: 2307-1133
- Publisher: Zaslavsky Publishing House
- Country: Ukraine
- Cause: Journal Change Policy
- Scopus link: View in Scopus
- ISSN: 0031-7144
- Publisher: Avoxa – German Pharmacists' Media Group, LLC
- Country: Germany
- Cause: Journal Change Policy
- Scopus link: View in Scopus
- ISSN: 1230-1485 | E-ISSN: 2083-5906
- Publisher: HARD Publishing Company s.c.
- Country: Poland
- Cause: Discontinuation
- Scopus link: View in Scopus
- ISSN: 1579-1726 | E-ISSN: 1988-2041
- Publisher: Spanish Federation of Physical Education Teachers — JURUFRA
- Country: Spain
- Cause: Discontinuation
- Scopus link: View in Scopus
ℹ️ This journal was analyzed in Issue No. 9: «Candidates for Removal from Scopus» — The exception was predicted.
More 55 authors from Kazakhstan were published in Retos. If you are among them, your publication is now excluded from the index.
- ISSN: 1813-162X | E-ISSN: 2312-7589
- Publisher: Tikrit University
- Country: Iraq
- Cause: Discontinuation
- Scopus link: View in Scopus
- ISSN: 2331-8880 | E-ISSN: 2331-8945
- Publisher: Horizon Research Publishing
- Country: USA
- Cause: Discontinuation
- Scopus link: View in Scopus
Conclusions
The June Scopus update is not an anomaly. It is yet another confirmation that the database is active, evolving, and does not send out warnings.
Eight journals have been permanently discontinued in Scopus (Discontinuation). Four more have changed their editorial policies to such an extent that the database could no longer confirm their compliance with standards (Journal change policy). In total, this amounts to twelve journals from eight countries, whose authors were not notified.
What does this mean in practice:
— An article submitted to a journal before the author was removed from the journal’s list may not be counted toward the evaluation;
— Publication in a disqualified journal is grounds for rejection during the dissertation defense;
— Grants and academic titles tied to publications in Scopus are also at risk.
Our monitoring for 2024–2026 confirms that 42 of the 48 journals we identified as high-risk were officially delisted. In today’s academic environment, the authors who survive are those who make decisions based on data, not on hope. Checking a journal before submission is not an unnecessary precaution—it is the bare minimum.
