King Abdullah I School of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research


In this section, we present some frequently asked question related to research regulations at PSUT. These questions are usually of interest for new faculty members at the university.

How can I tell if a certain journal is listed in Clarivate analytics database?

In the search slot, write the journal name or the ISSN. If the journal is listed, press "coverage" to know the exact classification of the journal.

What is the difference between Scopus and Clarivate analytics databases?

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Is it possible to find a journal listed in Clarivate analytics database but not listed in Scopus?

Yes; this depends on whether the journal applied to the database. For example, as of January 2019, "Journal of Taibah university for sciences" is listed in Clarivate analytics under "Science citation index expanded" but it is not listed in Scopus.

How is the impact factor of a journal computed?

Simply, to compute the impact factor for a journal in a certain year A, say, the following formula is used

                               IF= ( C(A-2)+C(A-1))/(N(A-2)+N(A-1))

where C(X) is the number of citations that journal has received in year X and N(X) is the total number of papers published in that journal in the year X.


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What is the H-index?

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Does the impact factor reflect the real quality of the journal?
Do world leading universities consider the impact factor in their evaluation of scientific research?
How do leading researchers select their journals?
What is "Emerging Sources Citation Index"?

From Wiki:

The Emerging Sources Citation Index is a citation index produced since 2015 by Thomson Reuters, and now by Clarivate Analytics. According to the publisher, the index includes "peer-reviewed publications of regional importance and in emerging scientific fields".[1] It has been observed that among the databases produced by Clarivate Analytics, the Emerging Sources Citation Index is the easiest one to get into and that as a result it contains many predatory journals.

What is a " predatory journal"?

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Can a predatory journal be indexed?

The following paragraph is taken from: It is rare for predatory journals to be indexed by lists such s Scopus but it does happen. For some examples, see Working Paper Do not feed the predators (or for information on the published version, see Article Do not feed the predators ). This being said, it is more common for predatory journals to lie about being indexed by such lists or, as Kay Smarsly says to be indexed by fake indexed factors (for examples of such fake indexed factors, see ).