Scopus is a comprehensive abstract and citation database that provides a platform for researchers, academics, and professionals to access a vast collection of scholarly literature across various disciplines. Developed by Elsevier, Scopus covers a wide range of subjects including science, technology, medicine, social sciences, arts, and humanities. It offers users an extensive repository of peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, patents, and other research-related content.
Scopus offers several features that help assess research performance:
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Feature |
Description |
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Citation Metrics |
Scopus provides four platform-specific metrics on a publication's metrics page: Total citations within a user-selected date range, citations per year for a chosen period, citation benchmarking (percentile ranking), and Field-weighted Citation Impact. |
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PlumX Metrics |
PlumX Metrics, found on a document's metrics details page, offer five comprehensive item-level metrics. They provide insights into how people interact with individual research outputs online, including social media and news mentions, as well as engagement on researcher-specific platforms like Mendeley. |
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CiteScore |
CiteScore is an annual measure of the average citations received per document in a journal. It serves as an alternative to the impact factor for evaluating the quality of journals. |
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Author Metrics |
Scopus allows researchers to view a summary of their publications, citations, and collaboration patterns. It also displays a list of the researcher's most cited articles, helping to gauge the significance of their contributions. |
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Institutional Metrics |
Universities and research institutions can use Scopus to analyze the research output of their faculty members, monitor their impact, and benchmark their performance against other institutions. |
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Journal Metrics |
Scopus provides journal-level metrics, including CiteScore, SJR (SCImago Journal Rank), and SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper). These metrics offer insights into the influence and visibility of specific journals in the academic community. |
For further information on the different types of metrics available within Scopus, please consult their Quick reference guide.
You can access Scopus via our Library Search interface.
In order to use the platform most effectively (including gaining the ability to save searches), it is recommended that you register for an account with Elsevier before using the platform.
Searching Scopus: You can search Scopus for documents, authors or institutions. This guide will demonstrate the basic steps around constructing an effective search.
Scopus metrics: This guide details the different types of metrics available via Scopus with guidance on accessing individual author, publication and journal metrics.
Scopus tutorials: These provide visual and audio guidance on features such as:
Basic and Advanced searching strategies
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