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| EDITORIAL |
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| Year : 2022 | Volume
: 15
| Issue : 3 | Page : 190-191 |
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Is the journal I am sending my research for publication indexed?
Punnya V Angadi1, Harpreet Kour2
1 Department of Oral Pathology, KLE VK Institute of Dental Sciences, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Belagavi, Karnataka, India
2 Department of Physiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Belagavi, Karnataka, India
| Date of Submission | 20-Jan-2022 |
| Date of Acceptance | 16-Jun-2022 |
| Date of Web Publication | 17-Sep-2022 |
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Harpreet Kour
Department of Physiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Belagavi, Karnataka
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/kleuhsj.kleuhsj_531_22
How to cite this article:
Angadi PV, Kour H. Is the journal I am sending my research for publication indexed?. Indian J Health Sci Biomed Res 2022;15:190-1 |
| Background | |  |
In today's times, publishing an article has become a mandatory norm for most health science professionals be it faculty, postgraduates as well as for research scholars for their academic advancement. Furthermore, the requirement spells out that, the article has to be published in an “indexed journal.”[1] This requisite is not only for the authors but also even the editors and publishers desire that their journal needs to be indexed. Indexing has come to the forefront especially due to the problems associated with the prevalence of predatory journals and the drawbacks of publishing in predatory journals. Thus, publishing in an “indexed journal” is what everyone aspires for and “indexing of a journal” has become an important criterion for choosing a journal for publication.[2]
| What is Indexing? | | |
Indexing is a list or a database of journals put forth by a Journal Indexing Agency (Scopus, Web of Science, Director of Open Access Journal [DOAJ]) or an Organization (National Library of Medicine-Pub Med/MEDLINE University Grants Commission-UGC CARE List).[2]
| When is a Journal Indexed? | | |
The journals are selected to be included in the list or the database on clearly defined parameters and stringent benchmarks. The most common criteria considered include:
- High editorial standards, committed to follow the COPE guidelines and the Editorial board comprises both National and International Members
- The journal should be considered a trusted source of research with consistent citation history
- Timely publication without any delays or interruption in the schedule.
If a journal is indexed, it suggests that the journal has a good track record with respect to publication ethics and boasts of quality publications.[3],[4],[5]
| What are the Benefits of Publishing in Indexed Journals? | | |
- An indexed journal will have more visibility and thus is accessible to a wider audience. A researcher doing a review of the literature usually searches the databases thus allowing for easy access
- Indexed journals are known to follow all the publishing ethical guidelines and have a robust peer-review process
- The enhanced visibility and high quality of the journal enable it to garner a good impact factor
- Professionals publishing in an indexed journal have more chances of validating their research which paves the way for getting better credit points and citations leading to academic promotions
- Publications in indexed journals are now considered for most rankings of the institution (NIRF, NAAC) and bolster the H-index of the authors.[2],[5],[6]
| Which are the Common Indexing Databases? | | |
There are several indexing and abstracting databases, but the most common and reputed ones accepted by the Medical Council of India and National Assessment and Accreditation Council include Pub Med, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and UGC CARE list. An additional directory that can be looked into especially for open access journals is the DOAJ.[2],[6],[7]
How can an author identify if a journal is indexed in a particular database?
- Journal Website: Every journal in its website usually displays a separate menu for “ Indexing and Abstracting” which an author can refer to.[7] However, in the current scenario, this strategy is questionable as most predatory journals with poor ethical models give fabricated information claiming that they are “indexed” mandating a more rigorous approach of checking the individual databases to identify the true status of indexing as follows:
- PubMed/MEDLINE:
- Open the website: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc
- A search box will appear where the title of the journal can be entered and Click “Search”
- If the journal is indexed in PubMed, it will show the “Participation level” as “Full”
- Alternatively, open https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog
- Type the journal name or the ISSN no. in the search box
- The results will display if the journal is part of the “NLM catalog”
- Scopus:
- Open the website: www.scopus.com
- Go to the “Sources” tab on the top of the Webpage
- A search box will appear where the Title, ISSN No., Publisher name, or the subject area can be entered and Click “Find Sources”
- If the journal is indexed in Scopus, then the result will be shown. If it is not, it will say that the source is not found.
- Web of Science (WOS):
- Open the website: www.mjl.clariviate.com
- Go to the “Search Journals” tab on the top of the Webpage
- A search box will appear where the Title or ISSN No can be entered and Click “Search”
- If the journal is indexed in WOS, then the result will be displayed. If it is not, it will say that the journal is not found.
- UGC-CARE List:
- Open the website: ugccare.unipune.ac.in
- The UGC Care list has been categorized into two groups, i.e., UGC-CARE List Group 1 which includes journals that are to be found to be qualified through UGC-CARE protocols and UGC-CARE List Group 2 are journals indexed in globally recognized databases
- To access the UGC-CARE List Group 1, you have to register on the website and subsequently login to the website. A search box will appear where the title, ISSN No., publisher, subject area, and language of publication can be entered
- If the journal is listed in the Group 1 category, it will be displayed.
- For Open Access journals:
- Open the website: www.doaj.org
- Go to the “Search Journals” tab on the Webpage
- If it is represented in the directory, the name will be shown.
| Conclusion | | |
Selection of an “indexed journal” is an important aspect of academic pursuit for any health science professional. This article aimed to enlighten the authors regarding searching for an “indexed journal” and also encourages the readers to publish in one, to sustain the integrity of the research, enhance its visibility and combat the menace of predatory journals.
| References | | |
| 1. | |
| 2. | Angadi PV, Kaur H. Research integrity at risk: Predatory journals are a growing threat. Arch Iran Med 2020;23:113-6.  |
| 3. | Mondal H, Mondal S. Check indexing status of a journal. J Family Med Prim Care 2020;9:3166-7. [Full text] |
| 4. | Agrawal R. Journal indexing: Myths and facts. Indian J Pathol Microbiol 2020;63:515-7. [ PUBMED] [Full text] |
| 5. | |
| 6. | |
| 7. | |
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Search Pubmed for