What sort of information is available in journal databases? Which database can be considered most reliable to identify authentic journals during journal selection?

As the number of journals and research papers countinues to rise, so does the number of predatory journals. A recently released list of predatory journals by Cabel has 12,000 journal in it. Databases are a way of distinguishing between predatory and authentic journals.    When a journal is part of a database, it is considered to be ‘Indexed’ in that database. Indexation of a journal is also considered as a reflection of its quality. These journals are considered to be of higher scientific quality as compared to non-indexed journals. There are about 400 Abstracting and Indexing (A&I) services that provide various search capabilities for multiple disciplines. These services provide access to several articles and e-books through the metadata and abstracts. The metadata generally includes the title, author(s), date of publication, journal title, keywords, DOI etc. Using this information, users can browse through articles and identify those that are most relevant to their research.

There are several databases that are a reliable source of information across different fields of research. Some of the well-known databases include PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, ISI, EMBASE and CiteSeerX.  You also have subject specific databases that cater only to one subject area as opposed to generalized and field specific databases. For example, Historical Abstracts is one such database that includes a targeted selection of hundreds of journals in the social sciences and humanities that are of special interest to researchers and students of history.

Additionally, if you wish to seek professional help with selecting the most suitable journal for your manuscript, you can consider using Enago’s Journal Selection service. Enago maximizes your chances of publication by matching you with the most appropriate journals for your particular research and requirements. Enago will also ensure that your target journal is not predatory and is indexed by prominent databases in your field.