Web of Science vs Scopus: what is the difference for your publication?

When a university or funding body asks for “an indexed publication”, it almost always means a journal indexed in Web of Science, Scopus, or both. The two databases are often mentioned together, but they are run by different companies, cover different sets of journals and use different metrics. Knowing the difference helps you choose the right target from the start.

Who runs them

Web of Science is owned by Clarivate. Its most important part for authors is the Web of Science Core Collection, a curated set of journals selected against published editorial criteria.

Scopus is owned by Elsevier. It is a large abstract and citation database covering journals, book series and conference proceedings from thousands of publishers, including many that are not owned by Elsevier.

The Web of Science indexes: SCIE, SSCI, AHCI and ESCI

Journals in the Web of Science Core Collection sit in one of several indexes:

Index	Full name	Covers
SCIE	Science Citation Index Expanded	Sciences, medicine, engineering
SSCI	Social Sciences Citation Index	Social sciences, business, education
AHCI	Arts & Humanities Citation Index	Arts and humanities
ESCI	Emerging Sources Citation Index	Journals across all fields that meet the quality criteria but not yet the impact criteria of the indexes above

Many institutions, particularly for promotion and doctoral requirements, specify SCIE or SSCI. Others accept ESCI. Always check the exact wording of your institution’s requirement before you choose a journal.

The metrics: impact factor, CiteScore and SJR

Journal Impact Factor (JIF) is Clarivate’s metric, published each year in Journal Citation Reports. Since 2023, journals in ESCI and AHCI also receive a JIF, not only those in SCIE and SSCI. Journals are ranked within subject categories and divided into quartiles, Q1 being the top 25%.

CiteScore is the Scopus metric, calculated by Elsevier from Scopus data over a four-year window.

SJR (SCImago Journal Rank) is calculated by the SCImago group from Scopus data and weights citations by the prestige of the citing journal. The quartiles many researchers quote for Scopus journals usually come from SJR.

Because the databases and formulas differ, the same journal can be Q1 in one system and Q2 in the other. When someone says a journal is “Q1”, it is worth asking: in which system, and in which category?

Coverage: which is bigger?

Scopus indexes more journals than the Web of Science Core Collection, and its coverage of non-English-language and regional journals is broader. Web of Science is more selective. Most journals in the Web of Science Core Collection are also indexed in Scopus, but the reverse is not true.

In practice this means a Scopus requirement gives you a wider choice of journals, while an SCIE or SSCI requirement narrows the field considerably.

Which one should you target?

Start with your requirement, not with the metric:

• Promotion or a doctoral requirement that names SCIE/SSCI: you need a Web of Science journal in those indexes, regardless of its Scopus status.
• A requirement for “Scopus-indexed” journals: any actively indexed Scopus journal qualifies, which usually includes the Web of Science journals in your field as well.
• A quartile requirement: confirm which system your institution uses (JCR or SJR) and which year’s ranking counts.
• No formal requirement: choose the journal whose readers most need your findings, then consider indexing as a tiebreaker.

A note on changes

Indexing is not permanent. Both databases re-evaluate journals and occasionally discontinue coverage, and rankings change every year. Indexing should be confirmed at the time you submit, not only when you first draw up a list.

How we can help

Building a shortlist that meets an exact indexing requirement, fits your manuscript’s scope and has realistic review times is the core of our journal selection service. Request a free assessment and tell us the requirement you are working to.