Home › Journal Guides › SCIE vs SCI vs ESCI
Find SCIE and ESCI journals for your paper
Paste your title, keywords or abstract. We match it against 28,582 journal papers published by PhD researchers on ScholarsColab and show where the closest work appeared, with each journal’s indexing (SCIE, SSCI, AHCI, ESCI, Scopus, JCR 2024).
How it works: no AI or language model is used. Your words are matched against the titles of real published papers by our mentors; journals are ranked by how many closely matching papers they published. Indexing comes from the SCIE, SSCI, AHCI, ESCI, Scopus and JCR 2024 lists, matched by journal name; “not found in our indexing lists” does not prove a journal is unindexed. Always check a journal’s scope and current indexing before submitting.
SCIE vs SCI vs ESCI at a glance
| SCI | SCIE | ESCI | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | The original, smaller selection; no longer offered as a separate index | Current core index for science journals | Current index in the same Web of Science Core Collection |
| Selection | Highly cited core journals | Quality and impact criteria | Quality criteria; impact criteria not (yet) met |
| Fields | Science, technology, medicine | Science, technology, medicine | All fields, including social sciences and humanities |
| Impact factor | — | Yes | Yes, in recent Journal Citation Reports releases |
| How institutions treat it | Usually read as SCIE | The most widely required | Accepted by some, not by all |
Where SSCI and AHCI fit
SCIE covers the sciences. Its counterparts for other fields are SSCI (social sciences) and AHCI (arts and humanities). Together with ESCI they form the main journal indexes of the Web of Science Core Collection. A journal can be in more than one: some interdisciplinary journals appear in both SCIE and SSCI.
The indexing lists used on this site contain 9,456 SCIE journals, 3,545 SSCI, 1,814 AHCI, 8,926 ESCI and 46,945 Scopus titles, and the JCR 2024 file lists 21,848 journals.Real data: SCIE and ESCI journals used by PhD researchers
Journals used by our mentors, by list: Scopus 4,391, JCR 2024 3,266, SCIE 2,219, ESCI 826, SSCI 227 and AHCI 39.ESCI journals sit between the Web of Science core journals and the rest. Some are newer journals building their citation record; many move into SCIE or SSCI over time.
Which one should you aim for?
- Check your requirement first: your university, funder or promotion rules may name SCIE/SSCI specifically, or accept any Web of Science or Scopus journal.
- If SCIE or SSCI is required, use the Web of Science filter in the Journal Finder above.
- If ESCI is acceptable, ESCI journals can offer good fit for specialised or regional topics.
- Confirm current status on the Master Journal List before submitting.
Common misunderstandings
- “SCI and SCIE are different levels.” In practice today, journals are listed as SCIE; “SCI journal” is commonly used to mean the same thing.
- “ESCI is not Web of Science.” ESCI is part of the Web of Science Core Collection, but it is not the same as SCIE or SSCI.
- “Indexed in Web of Science” always means SCIE. It could mean SCIE, SSCI, AHCI or ESCI; check which.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between SCI and SCIE?
SCI was the original, smaller selection of highly cited science journals. SCIE is the expanded index that covers science, technology and medicine journals in the Web of Science Core Collection today. In everyday use, “SCI journal” usually means an SCIE journal.
What is ESCI?
The Emerging Sources Citation Index includes journals that meet Web of Science’s quality criteria but have not yet met its impact criteria for SCIE, SSCI or AHCI.
Do ESCI journals have an impact factor?
In recent Journal Citation Reports releases, ESCI journals also receive a Journal Impact Factor. Check the latest JCR for a specific journal.
Is ESCI better than Scopus?
They are different databases with different selection processes. Which counts more depends on your institution’s rules.
How do I check if a journal is SCIE?
Search its name or ISSN in Clarivate’s free Master Journal List and look at the listed Web of Science Core Collection edition.
Want a PhD expert to choose the journal with you?
Our Journal Selection & Submission service shortlists up to 5 journals that match your manuscript, indexing requirement and target quartile, and handles the submission. If your paper was rejected before, a Manuscript Audit shows what to fix first.