To be clear, it is possible to publish an article in Scopus and Web of Science for free, but it requires a great deal of effort. The main factor contributing to such publication is a very high quality of research material. Also, it is essential to have a thorough understanding of the business models of scientific journals and what payment requirements they may impose on authors. We will take a closer look at these aspects and explain how the cost of publication in Scopus and Web of Science is calculated.
Free of charge publication in Web of Science/Scopus?
In the current stage of science and scientometrics, scientific journals rely on different sources of publication fees, adopting ever more innovative pricing mechanisms for their services.
In a broad sense, journal business models are classified according to the source of payment for publication services and issue output: whether payment is made by the author (Open Access), readers (Closed Access) or a third party (sponsors, advertising revenue).
If the journal features a reader or third-party payment model, the author will not be charged. This is precisely the case when it comes to free publication in Scopus and/or Web of Science. In some instances, publishers may combine different business models to give the author ample opportunity to collaborate with the journal. The most common publication funding options for free publication in Scopus and/or Web of Science are the International Journal of Management Science and Engineering Management* by Taylor & Francis Online.
*The journal is listed in the Scopus database with quartile - Q1, percentile - 88 (Percentile CiteScore), CiteScore – 5.5, SJR – 0.783, SNIP – 1.116; Web of Science: Emerging Sources Citation Index, Impact Factor - 3.083, quartile - Q1.
Web of Science and Scopus: free journals? Or a special type of access?
The International Journal of Management Science and Engineering Management features a wide range of funding options and collaborations with academics, including free-of-charge publication of articles for authors. Nearly every possible option is provided:
- Traditional business model. This procedure allows an author to submit their article and, if it meets all the requirements of the journal, it will be published. The scientist gets to publish an article in Scopus / Web of Science for free, and the source of funding comes from readers or organisations who purchase subscriptions. The journal's website states: "There is no submission fee or publication fee to publish with this journal".
- Sponsorship arrangements with the journal. This model implies that the publisher has an agreement with an organisation on the issue of publication placement. Articles are placed in the public domain, but only upon the approval of the sponsoring organisation. According to the website, they "will deposit all National Institutes of Health or Wellcome Trust-funded papers into PubMedCentral on behalf of authors, meeting the requirements of their respective open access policies".
- Sponsorship arrangements with the author. This model has much in common with the previous model, but the sponsorship agreements are negotiated between the organisation and the author, rather than between the journal and the organisation. The scholar chooses the journal to publish with, submits the paper, and the publication fee is paid by the sponsoring organisation (in whole or in part). The article is published in the public domain: "... the article processing charge (APC)...may be paid by research institution or funder".
- Advertising in academic journals. In some cases, free publication in Scopus and Web of Science is possible at the expense of advertising, for which the journal charges a fee. For example, the International Journal of Management Science and Engineering Management's website has a section on 'Advertising information', which outlines possible collaborations in terms of advertising in Taylor & Francis journals, individual issues or even articles.
Open Access
There are different models of open access, the features of which Scientific Publications has covered before. The International Journal of Management Science and Engineering Management also offers open access publishing option. According to statistics, open access articles receive, on average, 95% more citations and 7 times more downloads, compared to traditional access publications.
Although the journal supports different publication business models, the main factor favouring free publication in Scopus and Web of Science is the quality of the submitted article. The journal is thorough in its requirements for the material. It is worth paying attention to:
- Structure
- The volume of the article
- Writing style
- Design of metadata, graphic materials, figures, tables
- Quality of translation
- Properly filled in data for submission of material
The free publication in Scopus and Web of Science requires a great deal of effort on the part of scientists, and not all articles are accepted into publication. For example, in the issue of the International Journal of Management Science and Engineering Management that we analysed, the acceptance rate is 14%. That is, from a total of 100 articles, only 14 are accepted for publication. The main reason for rejection is failure to follow the above-mentioned instructions. If you need assistance in preparing your material for publication and selecting the most appropriate journal, please contact "Scientific Publications".
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