How to Check if a Journal Is Scopus Indexed (Free, 4 Steps)

To check whether a journal is Scopus indexed, search its ISSN on the free Scopus Sources page, open the record, and confirm that coverage runs to the current year and that the title is not marked as discontinued. Then confirm it on the Scopus source title list, and make sure the website you will submit to belongs to the publisher on the Scopus record. A Scopus logo or claim on the journal's own website is not proof.

Step 1: Search Scopus Sources by ISSN

Go to Scopus Sources (scopus.com/sources) and search by ISSN rather than by title. Many journals share similar names, and some fake journals copy a real journal's title. Try both the print ISSN and the electronic ISSN if the journal has two. If nothing comes up, try the title and the publisher name before concluding that it is not indexed.

Open the record and check that the title, publisher and ISSN all match what the journal shows on its website. A match on only one of the three is a warning sign.

Step 2: Read the coverage years and status

The source record shows the years Scopus covers. What you want is coverage that reaches the current or the previous year. Then look for a notice that the title has been discontinued. A discontinued journal was indexed once, but papers published after the cutoff date are not added.

One subtlety: Scopus also labels a title as discontinued when it has received no new content from the publisher for about three years. That label can disappear once the publisher sends new issues, so for a journal that looks active but is marked discontinued, check the official list in step 3.

Step 3: Confirm on the source title list

Elsevier publishes the full Scopus source title list as a free spreadsheet on its Scopus content coverage page. Search it for the ISSN and check that the title is listed as active. The same page publishes the discontinued sources list, which names every title removed from coverage and the volume and issue where coverage stopped.

The lists are refreshed several times a year, so the Sources page can be a little more current. If the two disagree, the Scopus helpdesk can confirm a title's status.

Step 4: Rule out a cloned website

A hijacked journal is a fake website that copies the title and ISSN of a real, indexed journal, so every check above passes for the wrong site. Before you submit or pay a fee:

Reach the journal from the publisher named on the Scopus record, not from an email or a search ad.
Be wary of a domain that does not belong to that publisher, or that was registered recently.
Check the Retraction Watch Hijacked Journal Checker.
Be suspicious of guaranteed acceptance, very fast review promises or fees that must be paid before review.

For more red flags, see how to avoid predatory journals.

Claims that do not mean “Scopus indexed”

“Submitted to Scopus”, “under evaluation” or “Scopus indexing in progress”.
A Scopus logo on the website without a matching source record.
“Indexed in Google Scholar”, which is a different service and covers almost anything online.
A listing on a third-party “Scopus journal list” site that is not run by Elsevier.
Past coverage only, ending years ago.

A quick shortcut, with a caveat

SCImago Journal & Country Rank lists only journals covered by Scopus, with their SJR and quartile, and needs no sign-in. It makes a fast first check. But it is updated once a year, so a journal removed from Scopus since then can still have a SCImago page. Use SCImago to screen and Scopus Sources to confirm. For what SJR and CiteScore measure, see SJR vs CiteScore.

After the indexing check

Indexing tells you a journal passed a selection process. It does not tell you whether the journal fits your paper, how fast it reviews or how it ranks in your field. Search the journal on Journal Metrics to see its Journal Metrics Score, its quartile in each OpenAlex subfield and its median acceptance time. For indexing in PubMed, DOAJ and other databases, see the broader guide on how to verify journal indexing, and for what happens when a journal is removed, see when a journal loses its indexing.

Frequently asked questions

Is checking Scopus indexing free?

Yes. The Scopus Sources search and the Scopus source title list are free and need no subscription. Some details on a source page may ask you to sign in with a free account.

Is a journal on SCImago always Scopus indexed?

SCImago only lists journals covered by Scopus, so it is a quick first check. But it updates once a year, so a journal discontinued since the last release can still appear. Confirm on Scopus Sources.

The journal says it is “under evaluation” by Scopus. Does that count?

No. Only a title with a current Scopus source record is indexed. Many evaluated titles are not accepted, and articles published before acceptance may not be covered.

If a journal is discontinued, are my old papers removed from Scopus?

Usually not. Papers indexed before the discontinuation date stay in Scopus. Papers published after that date are not added.

Does Journal Metrics show whether a journal is in Scopus?

No. Journal Metrics uses OpenAlex data and shows the Journal Metrics Score, quartiles and acceptance time. Check Scopus indexing on Scopus itself.

How to check if a journal is Scopus indexed