Scopus or Web of Science: which to choose?
Scopus and Web of Science are bibliographic services that index thousands of scientific publications. Before publishing a scientific article, it is worth analyzing both platforms and choosing the one that best suits the topic of your research. To make the right choice, you need to understand the main differences between the resources.
What you need to know about Scopus and Web of Science
Scopus is a database and search tool for scientific papers.
- The service is supported by Elsevier.
- 24,000 scientific journals are indexed in Scopus.
- The Scopus system is divided into 27 thematic sections, which include
350 subdivisions.
- The base covers the four main categories of sciences: the sociohumanities, medicine, physical sciences, and life sciences.
Web of Science is a platform for searching scientific literature and patents.
- Owned by Clarivate Analytics.
- Indexes 18,000 scientific journals.
- The main branches that the base covers are: technical, biological, natural, social and humanities.
What should you look for before publishing a research paper?
1. Indexing a scientific article.
Web of Science in most cases indexes materials with a natural and exact direction. Therefore, if you have chosen a scientific subject with a humanities focus, it is worth giving preference to a journal that is indexed in the Scopus database.
2. Possible termination of indexing.
Both platforms regularly check each indexed journal for quality.
Scopus removes publications from the list three times a year. In WoS, "mopping up" is not as frequent, so if you publish an article in Web of Science, the risk of not indexing is less.
In any case, before selecting a journal, it is necessary to analyze it to exclude the fact of termination of indexing.
3. Timing of publication of the scientific article.
Timing of publication depends on many factors, such as: the quality of materials, the popularity of the publication, the queue for publication, etc.
As a rule, the period of publication of a scientific article in Scopus journals is from 4 months to 2 years, and the publication of an article in Web of Science can last from 1 to 2 years.
It is impossible to predict how long it will take to publish a scientific article. But the process can be accelerated if the materials are prepared correctly.
Our authors will help to prepare a high-quality scientific article and reduce the period of publication to a minimum.
