Scopus Addresses Hijacked Journal Sites

Authors need to be vigilant about choosing where to submit their work as predatory and deceptive publishers continue to adjust their methods. A journal’s inclusion in a relevant bibliographic database such as Scopus is one indicator of quality.

In an effort to maintain that trust, Scopus recently removed links to journal homepages from their source details pages after evidence surfaced of hijacked sites. Deceptive actors set up clone websites mimicking reputable journals and collect article processing charges, but without providing important publishing services such as high-quality peer review.

To navigate from Scopus to the authentic journal website, use the “view at publisher” links for individual articles. These make use of digital object identifiers (doi) where available, which are controlled by the publisher. Note: access to the article may require use of the Jefferson full text button instead.

Of course, indexing status is just one consideration. Visit our guide on journal evaluation & measuring author impact and contact a librarian if you have questions about choosing a journal.