How To Check Scopus-Indexed Journals: Step-By-Step

Last updated on November 12th, 2025 at 03:23 am

Knowing how to check Scopus indexed journals is essential for scholarly publishing, PhD submissions, research evaluation, and avoiding predatory journals.

Scopus, maintained by Elsevier, is one of the world’s largest citation databases—covering more than 27,000 peer-reviewed journals across disciplines (Elsevier, 2024).

Because many low-quality or predatory journals falsely advertise Scopus indexing, researchers must independently verify a journal’s Scopus status before submitting manuscripts or citing it for academic purposes.

This article demonstrates two primary methods—and freely accessible—ways to confirm Scopus indexing:

✅ Scopus Sources Tool (Official and updated monthly)
✅ SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) portal (Built on Scopus data, shows quartiles)

✅ Why It Is Important to Check If a Journal Is Scopus-Indexed

Verifying Scopus indexing is not just a formality—it directly affects academic credibility and evaluation. Journals indexed in Scopus:

✅ Demonstrates adherence to peer-review and publication ethics.
✅ Are vetted for quality, citation impact, publishing regularity, and transparency.
✅ Carry greater academic weight for PhD submissions, promotions, recruitment, and grant applications.
✅ They are internationally searchable and citable, improving visibility and research impact.

In many countries, including India, UGC, NAAC, and academic institutions often require researchers to publish in Scopus or UGC-CARE journals for their work to be recognized. Submitting to a non-indexed or falsely claimed outlet can result in paper rejection, academic penalties, or invalidation of research credit.

✅ Methods To Check Scopus-Indexed Journals

✅ Method 1: Using the Official Scopus Sources Tool (Most Reliable)

The Scopus Sources tool is the official database used to check if a journal is listed in Scopus. It is free and does not require a subscription for verification.

✅ What “Coverage Years” Mean

• 2015 – Present or to Present → Actively indexed.
• Coverage discontinued in Scopus → Previously indexed, not active anymore.
• Coverage until 2018 → Not valid for Scopus-required publications today.

Publishing in discontinued journals will not count for official academic requirements.

✅ Method 2: Using the SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) Portal

SJR uses Scopus data and provides additional quality indicators, such as quartile rankings (Q1–Q4), the H-Index, and subject categories.

✅ If a journal appears in SJR, it is indexed in Scopus.
❌ But remember: SJR updates annually, while Scopus updates monthly.

✅ Red Flags: Signs a Journal Is Not Truly Scopus-Indexed

Many predatory journals falsely advertise Scopus indexing. Be cautious if you notice:

🚩 The Journal claims Scopus indexing only on its website, but it does not appear in Scopus Sources
🚩 No ISSN listed, or ISSN is invalid
🚩 Fake “impact factors”, such as:

• Global Impact Factor.
• Universal Impact Factor.
• Google Scholar Impact Factor.
  (These are not legitimate metrics)

🚩 Journal was once indexed but shows:

• Coverage discontinued in Scopus
• Coverage until 2016, 2017, or 2018

🚩 Rapid publication promises (24–72 hours) with guaranteed acceptance.
🚩 Publisher has multiple questionable journals with identical layouts and suspicious fees.
🚩 The Journal’s editorial board lacks verifiable scholars or uses fake names.
🚩 Indexing logos appear in low resolution or link to irrelevant pages.

If any of these appear, always verify them in Scopus and SJR.

✅ Comparison Table: Scopus vs Web of Science vs UGC-CARE