When a researcher writes an article, one of the goals is to publish his or her research in a journal indexed in international databases. But what are the criteria and requirements for publishing in such journals?
Each journal has its own specific selection criteria and requirements for the material submitted to the editorial board for further publication. But when a journal starts to be indexed in a particular database, the articles in the journal must meet the requirements of this database from that moment on. Thus, in the process of indexing a journal in various databases, including international ones, the criteria and requirements for articles are gradually transformed. Today, our goal is to tell you about the key criteria for selecting articles to publish your research in a journal indexed in international databases.
Despite the fact that international databases publish articles in various fields registered in different countries, they have common criteria and requirements for the selection of journals and articles that authors must adhere to. Compliance with them is a prerequisite for inclusion in the databases, and violation of them may lead to the exclusion of the journal from the database.
Common criteria and requirements in databases for scientific articles:
- Originality. The article should contain new and original research that is important for the development of the chosen field of science and the scientific community as a whole.
- Uniqueness. The article should not duplicate the work of other scientists or the author's previous research. Each journal specifies the percentage of uniqueness that an article should have in its requirements for articles.
- Relevance. The article should be aimed at solving actual, current problems and issues, analysing current trends in the chosen research topic. It is necessary to devote the article to the study of what is important now.
- Quality. The research should be conducted with a thorough approach, a high level of methodological and material preparation, and should comply with international standards and norms.
- Adherence to structure and formatting. A scientific article should be clearly structured according to the requirements of the journal. The mandatory structural elements of the article include: abstract, introduction, methodology, results, conclusions, and references.
- List of references. All sources used should be indicated in accordance with the requirements of the journal and consist of relevant literature on the topic chosen by the author.
- Language. The article should be written and submitted in English, proofread and free of grammatical errors.
- Ethical requirements. Authors must adhere to all principles of scientific ethics when writing a scientific article. It is mandatory to indicate all sources used to obtain information, as well as to avoid plagiarism and copying materials from other researchers. You should also not submit a scientific article to several journals at once.
These are the general requirements that articles must meet in order to successfully pass peer review in international journals. However, each database has its own individual criteria for selecting material for further publication. Today, we have selected three international databases, which are among the largest, to analyse such criteria.
Scopus
One of the largest and most authoritative scientometric databases in the world. Scopus is known for its strict requirements and selection of research for publication. Failure to comply with these requirements can often result in rejection for publication.
Basic requirements for articles in Scopus:
- The length of the article depends on the type of article, but on average – from 14 to 26 pages
- Uniqueness – from 85% and above
- Portrait page orientation
- Numbering and caption of graphic material
- Keywords – from 5 to 10 words/phrases
- Number of scientific sources – at least 20 (scientific articles, journals, monographs, etc.)
- Relevance of the literature used – works published in the last three years (exceptions are possible)
- The list of references is arranged in alphabetical order with end-to-end numbering
- In the main text of the article, only round brackets are used for references and citations
- Structure of the work – IMRAD
A scientific article published in Scopus should be written in accordance with the directions and objectives of the journal in which it is published. Such a study should make a contribution to the scientific field on the subject matter researched by the author. The article should be written in English, clearly and understandably.
Web of Science
Along with Scopus, it is one of the largest databases. Web of Science, also known as WoS, has strict selection criteria and a strict editorial policy. Journals included in the WoS database have their own impact factor, which is an important indicator of their status and plays an important role in the development of modern science. This is reflected in the high demands on the criteria for selecting articles.
Requirements for articles indexed in Web of Science:
- The length of the article depends on the type of article, on average – from 14 to 26 pages
- Abstract – the word limit for the English-language version is 200 words.
- Number of keywords – up to 15 words/phrases.
- Percentage of uniqueness of the article – from 80% and above
- Page orientation – portrait
- The list of references should be arranged in alphabetical order with through numbering
- Parentheses are used for references
- Structure of the article: introductory part, main part, final part
- Relevance of sources – it is necessary to choose new research by scientists that have been published in the last three years
An article in the WoS database must necessarily have a justification for the relevance of the topic and its choice, and scientific significance. Compliance with reliability, logical consistency and accessibility is important for the selection of an article for this database.
Springer Link
This online platform provides its users with access to a large volume of scientific literature. For researchers, SpringerLink is a valuable and useful resource for finding information.
Basic requirements and rules for submitting research for publication in Springer:
- The length of the manuscript depends on the type of article, on average – from 15 to 25 pages
- Permission of the copyright owner(s) to use materials in the article (for example, graphic)
- Abstract length – from 150 to 250 words
- Keywords – from 4 to 6 words/phrases
- Only parentheses are used for references and citations
- Mandatory page numbering in the article file
- Do not use the field functions
- The minimum number of sources included in international scientific databases is 20.
Please note that Springer accepts electronic multimedia files along with the research as additional files that can be used when publishing an article online. Authors can request the exclusion of reviewers by justifying their position, and they can also suggest another reviewer. Springer also has its own policy on the use of generative images created using artificial intelligence.
Of course, these requirements are not an exhaustive list; each of these databases has a large list of criteria that must be studied in detail before writing and submitting a scientific article to the publication. There are general requirements and criteria for selecting articles for journals indexed in international databases that must be followed. However, it is important to adhere to the requirements for articles that are set by the journal you have chosen to publish your research article. After all, regardless of the fact that the journals belong to the same scientometric database, the requirements and criteria for selecting manuscripts may differ.
Scientific Publications offers you fast and qualified assistance in publishing your article in an international scientometric database. If you have any questions or need assistance, please fill out an application on the website and our manager will contact you within a business day.
