Scopus Journal Selection and Submission Guidance
A journal shortlist checked live on Scopus, your manuscript checked against its rules, and a realistic timeline.
Most scholars who come to us for help with a Scopus journal have one of two problems. Some need a Scopus-indexed paper before the university will accept their thesis, and the submission deadline is already near. Others have got an offer from some journal and want to know if that journal is genuine and still covered in Scopus before they go ahead.
We help in both cases. But peer review runs on the journal’s own schedule. A Scopus-indexed journal sends your paper to independent reviewers, and those reviewers take their own time. Mostly it is three to eight months from submission to acceptance, sometimes longer.
Good preparation can save you months, because the avoidable problems get fixed early. Many papers get desk rejected only because the topic is outside that journal’s scope. If the methods part is thin, the reviewers will mostly ask for one more revision round. And some scholars find out after publishing that their university is not counting it. Our work is mainly on these kind of problems.
Quick answers
- What is included in Scopus journal selection guidance?
We check three to five journals live on Scopus Sources and give you a shortlist. A reviewer from your subject reads the manuscript and gives comments. Then we check your formatting against the journal’s author guidelines and give you a submission checklist. You submit from your own account, after one last read from us. When reviewer comments come, we explain them and give feedback on the response letter you write. Checking one journal is free.
- How long until my paper is published in Scopus?
Our side takes some weeks only. The shortlist needs 3–5 working days, manuscript feedback needs 2–4 weeks, and the formatting check takes about a week. After you submit, the journal’s peer review mostly takes three to eight months till acceptance.
- Can you promise acceptance or a publication date?
No. Acceptance is decided by the editor and the independent reviewers. If anyone is promising you a fixed Scopus date in advance, check with us before paying anyone.
- What happens with similarity?
With every revised draft we send the full similarity report. You can see the number yourself and compare it with what your university and the journal allow. We don’t give any target percentage.
- How do I get started, and how many revisions are covered?
Book the free consultation and send your manuscript. Before you pay, the written scope fixes the price and how many revision rounds are included. Sometimes the journal’s reviewers ask for revisions after submission. Our feedback on that round we quote separately, and upfront itself.
Scope
What’s included
You can take any stage alone. If your paper is already in good shape, maybe the journal check and the pre-submission review are enough for you.
Journal shortlist and verification
We pick three to five journals matching your topic and check each one live on Scopus Sources. Coverage should be active and the ISSN should be correct. The publisher and website must match, and there should be no discontinuation notice.
Manuscript feedback
A reviewer from your subject reads the draft for structure and argument, and you get written comments to work on. They look at what new thing the paper adds and where it stands in the literature. They also check if the methods have enough detail, and how you have shown the results and written the discussion.
Formatting check and submission checklist
We check your formatting against the author guidelines of the journal you chose, including its reference style and the rules for figures and tables, and mark what needs fixing. If that journal asks for a cover letter, highlights or suggested reviewers, you draft them and we review them. You get a submission checklist, and you submit from your own account.
Pre-submission review
Before submission we read the paper once more for the usual desk rejection reasons. Scope fit, the novelty statement, ethics declarations, data availability and similarity all get checked here.
Help with reviewer comments
Once reviewer comments come, we explain what each one is asking. You write the point-by-point response letter and the revised paper in tracked changes, and we give feedback on both before you send. Most of the papers that get accepted goes through at least one round.
Journal check only
If you have already chosen the journal, we check it against Scopus and against your university’s rules, and we tell you what we found. There is no charge for this, even if you don’t take any other work from us.
Quality
How quality is verified
These are the checks every piece of work goes through before it reaches you.
Indexing checked live on Scopus
On the day we suggest a journal, we check it on Scopus Sources, and we check it one more time before you submit. The ISSN and publisher are matched with the journal’s own website, so we know it is the real site.
Subject-matched reviewer
Your manuscript goes to a person who has published in your broad field. A general editor does not handle it. This person reads it the way a journal referee will read it.
Similarity report with every draft
Every revised draft comes with a full similarity report from a standard checker. You see the number with your own eyes.
References checked against sources
We confirm each reference actually exists and says what your text claims. Reviewers start doubting a paper many times because of citation errors, and these errors can be avoided.
Journal guidelines checklist
We check your paper against the journal’s current author guidelines and give you the filled checklist at the end. You can see each item was checked.
Revision rounds included
How many revision rounds you get is written in the scope before you pay. Feedback on revisions that the reviewers ask for after submission is separate, and we quote for it upfront.
Time
Realistic timelines
Our part finishes in weeks, and the journal’s part takes months. For a typical Scopus-indexed journal, the time mostly goes like this.
| Stage | Typical time | Who controls it |
|---|---|---|
| Journal shortlist and verification | 3–5 working days | Us |
| Manuscript feedback | 2–4 weeks | Us and you, as it depends on how fast drafts go back and forth |
| Formatting check and pre-submission review | 1 week | Us |
| Editorial screening (desk decision) | 1–4 weeks | The journal |
| Peer review, first round | 2–4 months | The journal and its reviewers |
| Revision and resubmission | 2–6 weeks | You, with our feedback |
| Second review and decision | 1–3 months | The journal |
| Production and online publication | 2–8 weeks after acceptance | The journal |
Before you start
What your university probably requires
Rules differ more than most scholars expect, so check your university’s rule first and only then choose the journal.
With the UGC’s 2022 PhD regulations, the national rule of publishing before thesis submission was removed. Still, many universities and departments have kept their own rule. Mostly they ask for one or two papers in Scopus, Web of Science or UGC CARE-listed journals. Conference proceedings are counted in some places and not in many others. A few universities accept only journals from particular Scopus quartiles.
So talk to your department or read your university’s current PhD regulations, and confirm three points before picking a journal.
- Which indexes count. It may be Scopus, Web of Science, UGC CARE, or any one of them.
- Whether it must be a journal article, or if a Scopus-indexed conference paper or a book chapter will also be accepted.
- Whether the paper must be published, or if a paper accepted with a DOI by your submission date also counts. This is your university’s rule, so go by its exact wording.
Want to verify a journal on your own? Our step-by-step guide to checking Scopus indexing takes you through the steps one by one.
Pricing
How pricing works
Every project gets its own quote. A paper that is nearly ready and a first draft need very different amount of work. So you get a fixed quote after we’ve seen your manuscript, and we agree it in writing before starting any work.
Some journals have an article processing charge (APC). That is separate from our quote, and you pay it straight to the publisher. Many Scopus-indexed journals follow the subscription model and charge nothing for publishing.
What the quote depends on
- How far the manuscript has reached, whether the results are ready or you are still writing
- Which of the stages listed above you need
- Length of the paper, and how many figures and tables it has
- Your subject area, and how specialised the reviewer has to be
- Your deadline, in case it squeezes our part of the schedule
Every quote includes
- A written scope listing exactly what will be delivered
- A fixed price agreed before any payment
- Payment in stages, tied to delivery
- Revision rounds stated in the scope
Process
How it works
Free consultation
A call or message with a specialist in your subject. We review your material and say plainly whether we are the right fit.
Written scope and quote
You get a written scope, a timeline and a fixed price. Work and payment begin once you agree to it.
Staged delivery
Work arrives in stages you review, each with a similarity report where text is involved. You pay stage by stage.
Revisions and hand-over
Revision rounds are included. At the end you get the final files, and an explanation of anything you’ll need to defend.
Keep reading
Guides and related services
Scopus vs Web of Science (SCI, SCIE)
What each database covers, which one your university means, and how to check a journal in each.
Scopus indexing, explained
How to verify a journal in Scopus Sources step by step — and why coverage dates matter more than logos.
How long journal publication really takes
Stage-by-stage timelines for indexed journals, and how to check a journal that offers a fixed publication date.
How to spot a predatory journal
A checklist to run before you submit anywhere — and what to do if you’ve already submitted.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Will my paper surely be accepted in a Scopus journal?
No. Acceptance is decided by the journal’s editor and the independent peer reviewers. From our side you get a well-prepared manuscript going to a journal we have checked. That is the most realistic way to improve your chance.
How long will it take to get published?
In most Scopus-indexed journals, keep three to eight months from submission to acceptance in your plan. Some fields take longer. Our own feedback and checks before you submit usually take three to six weeks. Deadline less than six months away? Mention it in the consultation itself, and we will be honest about what is possible.
Someone promised my paper will be in Scopus in 15 days. Is that possible?
Peer review in an indexed journal usually goes on for some months, so a 15 day promise is not normal at all. Many times such timelines come from a copied journal website, or a journal Scopus has discontinued. Another common case is a conference proceedings volume which may get removed later. Send us the journal name and we check it free of cost.
The journal was in Scopus when I submitted, but was discontinued before my paper came out. Does it count?
Generally Scopus keeps the content published before the discontinuation date, and it stops indexing what comes after. So if your paper came out after the cut-off, mostly you won’t find it in Scopus. Whether your university will still accept that paper is for the university to decide. For this reason we check the indexing again just before you submit.
Do you write the paper or the response to reviewers?
No. You write the paper and the replies, and you remain the author. If anybody asks you about some part of the paper, you should be in a position to explain it yourself. We give comments on the structure and the writing, we check the methods, and we check the journal’s requirements are met. How exactly we work is written in our ethics policy.
Do you pay the journal’s publication fee, or add it to your quote?
We do neither. Our quote does not include the fee. When a journal has an article processing charge, you pay it to the publisher directly after acceptance. That is the normal practice.
Is my manuscript kept confidential?
Yes. Only the reviewer working on your paper gets the manuscript, and we use it for your project only. Once the project is finished, tell us and we delete the file. If you want a non-disclosure agreement, we are happy to sign one.
What if the paper is rejected?
Rejection happens a lot, even to good papers. When the reviewers’ comments are useful, we help you understand them. You do the corrections and send to the next journal in the shortlist. Any cost for this is written in your scope before you start, so nothing comes as a surprise.
Talk it through with a specialist for free
Send us where you are and what you need. We’ll reply within one working day with clear advice, a written scope and a fixed quote. No obligation.
Book a free consultation