How Researchers Get Misled by Journals That Are “Supposedly” Indexed in Scopus
Publishing in Scopus-indexed journals is a crucial milestone for any researcher. Yet in recent years, a new wave of deceptive practices has emerged — cases where even “indexed” journals turn out to be traps.
Everything may look legitimate:
the website works, the journal appears in the Scopus database, and the editorial office responds to emails.
But in reality, the journal may already be discontinued — Scopus simply hasn’t updated the status yet, while the publisher intentionally hides the exclusion.
Below are the three most common scenarios.
1. The journal is already discontinued, but the “Coverage Discontinued” label hasn’t appeared yet
This happens regularly.
Scopus does not update journal statuses immediately — there can be a delay of several weeks or even a month between the decision to discontinue a journal and the visible update in the system.
During this window, publishers launch mass email campaigns, promise fast publication and aggressively collect submissions on any topic — trying to “cash out” before being officially removed.
Researchers see the journal still listed in Scopus and assume it is safe, not realizing they are submitting to a “dead” journal that will soon disappear from the index.
2. The journal is placed on hold by the CSAB but continues accepting payments
A more deceptive scenario occurs when a journal is placed on hold by the Scopus Content Selection & Advisory Board (CSAB).
This means the journal is under serious review — due to questionable editorial practices, weak quality, or ethical violations.
Publishers are typically aware of the CSAB hold, but they rarely inform authors. Instead, they continue accepting manuscripts and collecting publication fees.
Once the journal is officially discontinued, authors are left with nothing:
their articles no longer count for PhD defense, academic promotion, or grant applications.
🛡️ How to Protect Your Publications
Publishing in Scopus is not only about prestige but also about your invested money, time, and reputation.
Unfortunately, no journal can guarantee absolute indexing stability.
That’s why it is important to work with experts who thoroughly verify each journal before submission and provide guarantees for article indexing.
Need a publication in Scopus without risk or stress?
Order “Journal Selection & Submission Support” from Futurity Publishing.
We will handle the entire process for you:
from verifying and selecting a reliable journal for your topic — to the final publication of your article.
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3. Journals that publish everything — without real peer review
Another risky category consists of journals that technically remain indexed in Scopus but operate as “accept-all” platforms.
Such journals:
accept articles far outside their aims & scope
perform no genuine peer review (or provide template reviews)
publish anything that is paid for
Some of these articles may even get indexed initially — but after a CSAB audit, they are often removed retroactively.
As a result, the journal loses its indexing status, and authors lose their articles along with eligibility for academic evaluation, PhD defense, title awarding, and grant competitions.
How to Protect Yourself
To avoid falling into these traps, follow these simple but reliable steps:
1. Verify the journal directly through the official Scopus database
https://www.scopus.com/sources
2. Contact Scopus support (chat or e-mail) to confirm the journal’s current status
Only Scopus specialists can provide an up-to-date confirmation.
https://service.elsevier.com/app/home/supporthub/scopus/
3. If anything seems suspicious — do NOT pay immediately
It’s better to spend one extra day checking than lose money, time, and academic credibility.
Conclusion
The academic world is becoming increasingly digital — and unfortunately, this creates more opportunities for manipulation.
Today, the key currency for any researcher is vigilance.
At Futurity Publishing, we perform a two-level verification of journals:
through the official Scopus database, and
through our internal communication channels with publishers and indexers.
This ensures that the journal to which you submit your article is genuinely indexed and not at risk of removal.
By working with us, you safeguard your publication, your academic future, and your reputation.
This was Vasyl Malets
Scientometrics expert and founder of Futurity Research Publishing.
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