Scopus and Web of Science are the citation indexes universities and funders weigh most heavily — and the ones with the highest bar. This page sets honest expectations for a new journal: what the selection committees look for, what Scholardemia handles for you, and what only time and good editing can earn.
How selection works
Both indexes run human selection processes. Scopus applications go to its Content Selection and Advisory Board; Web of Science evaluates journals against editorial quality criteria for entry (typically first into the Emerging Sources Citation Index), with citation-impact criteria deciding promotion to the flagship collections. Evaluation takes months, and a rejected journal usually must wait a fixed embargo period before reapplying — so apply once, when genuinely ready.
What they expect
- A publishing track record — commonly two years or more of regular, on-schedule issues before an application is considered.
- Rigorous, documented peer review and clear publication ethics policies.
- An editorial board whose members are recognised in the field, with genuine institutional diversity — not one department.
- Authors and citations from beyond the founding circle: content the wider field reads and cites.
- English-language metadata (titles, abstracts, references) regardless of the article language, plus an ISSN and stable article identifiers.
What Scholardemia covers
The technical layer is handled for you: DOIs and Crossref metadata, ISSN placement across the site and exports, structured JATS article data, OAI-PMH harvesting, preservation profiles, and a consistent issue archive. What the indexes actually judge — scope, editorial rigour, board strength, and citation impact — is the journal’s to earn. A strong intermediate step is DOAJ, which many committees read as a baseline credibility signal.
Track your progress
Use the indexing panel on your workspace’s Compliancepage to record where each application stands, so the whole team — and the launch checklist — sees the journal’s real indexing position at a glance.