Scopus Subject Category Add/Change Request

Scopus is generally receptive to publisher requests for subject category changes, and such requests are often approved within a few weeks. However, before proceeding, the Indexing team recommends assessing how the journal would rank within the proposed categories based on its current CiteScore. If the journal is likely to be positioned in the lower percentiles of the proposed categories, it may be worth reconsidering the selection. Please also note that any category changes may affect the journal’s SJR performance, as SCImago derives its rankings and quartile assignments from Scopus data.

Please review the attached list of ASJC codes. While there is no formal limit to the number of categories assigned to a title, journals are typically classified in between two and six categories. In addition, Scopus does not always approve the assignment of both a broad subject category and a more specific sub-discipline within that category for the same title. For example, a journal may not be assigned to both General Business, Management and Accounting (1400) and Marketing (1406). Accordingly, we recommend proposing either the broader category or the more specific category, but not both.

One additional consideration is the timeline for implementation. Although approval of a category change request can be relatively quick, the corresponding updates may take considerably longer to appear across all platforms. Previously indexed content is generally updated within a few months following approval. However, updates to the Scopus homepage are only reflected during the biannual browser refresh cycle. Changes may take even longer to appear in SCImago, as Scopus data is provided to SCImago only once per year.