Scimago is a tool for seeing and analyzing journals’ impact metrics.1 It is free to use, provides more metrics than Google Scholar, and its data (from Scopus) is more comprehensive than that used by other tools.2

What Is the Benefit of Inclusion in Scimago?

By being included in Scimago, a journal’s impact is more readily assessible by potential readers, authors, and others. The metrics include the SJR; SJR quartile; cites of the journal; self-cites of the journal; cites per document; external cites per “doc”; number of citable and non-citable docs; and, number of cited and uncited docs. Scimago also displays the percent of articles with contributors from multiple countries. The typical Scimago page for a journal is viewable in the following iFrame:

What Is the Cost of Inclusion in Scimago?

There is no fee to get included in Scimago. There is no direct cost in time or effort, except for what is involved in getting indexed in Scopus.

How Do I Get My Journal Included in Scimago?

For your journal to be included in Scimago, it must be indexed in Scopus.3 This is because the latter provides the data for the former. Once your journal is indexed in Scopus, it should also be included, in due time, by Scimago.

What Is the Utility of Indexing in Scopus?

In addition to inclusion in Scimago, indexing in Scopus provides impact data on its Sources page. Note that criminology journals are listed under the “Law” subject area. The other the benefits of indexing in Scopus include:

• Increase the visibility of your publication(s)

• Give you access to a global audience of researchers and experts for peer review programs

• Track the performance of your publication(s)

• Monitor competitive publications4

It costs time and effort to get indexed in Scopus. The amount of time depends on the journal’s content, infrastructure, capabilities, and technical expertise. There is no associated fee.

How Do I Get My Journal Indexed in Scopus?

How to get a journal indexed in Scopus is on the page, Content Policy and Selection. To be indexed, a journal must do the following, at a minimum:

• Publish peer-reviewed content

• On its website, have a public description of its peer-review process

• Be published regularly

• Have an ISSN

• Have references in Roman script and English language abstracts and titles

• Have a publicly available publication ethics and publication malpractice statement

There are further criteria described on the aforementioned page, categorized into “Journal Policy,” “Content,” “Journal Standing,” “Publishing Regularity,” and “Online Availability.”

Once you believe your journal meets the criteria, you should apply for its inclusion in Scopus by using the title suggestion form. You will be asked to read something (that you probably won’t), then click that you are aware and agree of what you (didn’t) read; enter the journal’s ISSN; add contact information; add information about the journal, publisher, and editor(s); and, upload sample articles. All that should take no more than 15 minutes.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Decision From Scopus and Included in Scimago?

It takes time for Scopus to decide whether it will index a journal. In Scopus Journal FAQs, the period is specified as six to twelve months. If the journal is accepted for inclusion, indexing will start that year. That information will be later included in Scimago. The indexing may go backwards in time:

Journals that are selected for Scopus within the third publication year will be covered from the first publication year onwards. If complete journal archives are available in digital format, the publisher may request to add backfiles to Scopus.5

However, if your journal’s application is rejected, the delay is multiplied. You cannot immediately reapply.

In case of rejection, a conditional embargo date will be given after which the journal title may be suggested for Scopus review again. The embargo period can range from 1 year, 18 months, 2 years, 3 years to 5 years. … [This] is dependent on how long the reviewers think it may take before the evaluation feedback can be addressed and take effect.6

The implication is haste makes waste. Should you apply for your journal to be indexed by Scimago, ensure your journal meets the standards for inclusion.

Finally, be aware that after a journal is added to Scopus, it can be removed. This may happen if its self-citation rate is too high. Ditto if any of the following are too low: total citation rate, CiteScore, number of articles, and, on Scopus.com, the number of full-text clicks and abstract usage.