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Find Scopus or Web of Science 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.
Scopus vs Web of Science at a glance
| Scopus | Web of Science | |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Elsevier | Clarivate |
| Coverage | Broader: more journals, plus conference papers and books | More selective core collection (SCIE, SSCI, AHCI, ESCI) |
| Main journal metric | CiteScore (free), plus SJR and SNIP | Journal Impact Factor (in Journal Citation Reports) |
| Quartiles | From CiteScore percentiles or SJR (SCImago) | From impact factor rank within Web of Science categories |
| Checking a journal | Free Scopus Sources list | Free Master Journal List |
Real data: where PhD researchers’ journals are indexed
Journals used by our mentors, by list: Scopus 4,391, JCR 2024 3,266, SCIE 2,219, ESCI 826, SSCI 227 and AHCI 39.Of our mentors’ journal papers, 31% appeared in Web of Science core journals (SCIE, SSCI or AHCI), 7% in ESCI journals, 16% in journals found only in Scopus, and 46% in journals not found in any of these lists. Many journals are in both databases, which is why the Journal Finder shows every list a journal appears in.
Which one should you choose?
- Follow your institution’s rule. Some count only SCIE/SSCI, some accept Scopus, some accept either.
- If both are accepted, look at quartiles and the fit of the journal’s scope.
- For specialised or regional topics, Scopus-indexed journals may offer a better fit.
- Use the finder’s filter to show only the database you need, then confirm officially.
Common mistakes
- Comparing impact factor with CiteScore directly. They are calculated differently; see our guide to JCR vs CiteScore quartiles.
- Not checking for discontinued Scopus titles.
- Assuming a journal is in both databases.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Scopus or Web of Science?
Neither is better in every case. Scopus covers more journals; Web of Science is more selective. The right choice is the one your university, funder or employer recognises.
Are all Web of Science journals in Scopus?
Many are, but not all, and many Scopus journals are not in Web of Science. Check each journal individually.
Does Scopus have an impact factor?
No. The Journal Impact Factor is a Clarivate (Web of Science) metric. Scopus uses CiteScore, SJR and SNIP.
How do I check if a journal is in Scopus?
Search the journal’s name or ISSN on the free Scopus Sources page and check that its coverage is current.
What is the Web of Science Core Collection?
It is Clarivate’s main collection, including the SCIE, SSCI, AHCI and ESCI journal indexes, among others.
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.