Guest Author – Azizul Haque
Assistant Professor, Yeungnam University.
For researchers, one of the main ways to understand the quality and acceptance of research is through research indexes. Various international indexes play a crucial role in determining whether scientific, social, humanities, medical, or technical research meets international standards. These indexes set the benchmarks for the quality, impact, accuracy, and global acceptance of research. This article provides a preliminary overview of some internationally recognized and widely used research indexes.
Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE)
The Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) was introduced to assess the quality and significance of research papers across various scientific disciplines. Dr. Eugene Garfield launched the Science Citation Index (SCI) in 1964, which later expanded and became known as SCIE in 1997. The SCIE indexing database includes more than 9,200 notable and significant journals in 178 subjects from 1900 to the present. These journals are considered the world’s leading journals in scientific and technical fields. SCIE covers research in key fields such as science, technology, medicine, engineering, physics, chemistry, and biology.
Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI)
The Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) was launched in 1972 to analyze citations in social science research papers. It is a commercial citation index by Clarivate Analytics. This index lists over 3,400 journals across more than 58 branches of social science. Significant research papers in sociology, economics, law, politics, psychology, education, and public health, among other social sciences, are archived in SSCI.
Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI)
The Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI) was introduced by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) in 1975. It is a specialized index designed for research papers in the arts and humanities. AHCI includes over 1,800 journals covering literature, history, philosophy, linguistics, music, anthropology, and fine arts. The index is accessible online through Web of Science.
Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI)
The Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) was launched by Thomson Reuters in 2015 and is now managed by Clarivate. It includes new, emerging, and regionally significant peer-reviewed journals. Since 2021, all ESCI journals are included in Journal Citation Reports (JCR), and from 2023, ESCI journals have their own Impact Factor.
Index Chemicus (IC)
Index Chemicus (IC) is a specialized index for research papers on newly discovered chemical compounds and reactions. It primarily records the synthesis processes and properties of new compounds discovered in organic and inorganic chemistry. This index is particularly vital for chemists and pharmaceutical researchers.
Conference Proceedings Citation Index (CPCI)
The Conference Proceedings Citation Index (CPCI) is a database of research papers presented and published at scientific conferences, symposiums, workshops, and academic gatherings. This index is regarded as a key source for promptly recording new research and discoveries published in the academic world. Often, new discoveries or theories are first introduced in conference papers before being published in traditional journals. In this context, CPCI provides early-stage insights for understanding research directions and progress.
Book Citation Index (BKCI)
The Book Citation Index (BKCI) is a significant index under Clarivate Analytics’ Web of Science platform that enables the evaluation and tracking of books and book chapters used in scientific research. Although journal articles are generally more prominent in research, in many studies—especially in social sciences, humanities, and historical fields—books are used as primary or original sources.
Current Chemical Reactions (CCR)
Current Chemical Reactions (CCR) is a specialized research index by Clarivate Analytics that collects and stores information on new and significant chemical reactions published worldwide. This index is an invaluable resource for chemists, chemical engineers, and process chemists. It provides comprehensive details of new synthesis reactions, novel reaction pathways, unconventional catalysts, green chemistry approaches, and chemical reactions developed using new reagents or conditions.
Derwent Innovations Index (DII)
Derwent Innovations Index (DII) is a specialized index for scientific and technical patent research. It is used globally to analyze patent applications, assess features, and search for technological innovations. Researchers use DII to monitor trends in new inventions and to plan innovative activities.
BIOSIS Citation Index
The BIOSIS Citation Index is one of the oldest and most extensive indexes for research papers in the fields of biology and biomedical sciences. This index includes research papers from 1969 to the present in fields such as zoology, botany, microbiology, environmental science, agricultural science, biochemistry, biophysics, neuroscience, pharmacology, public health, and biomedical engineering. One of the key features of the BIOSIS Citation Index is that it provides not only citation data but also keywords relevant to the research content, biological concept codes, taxonomic information, and data related to enzymes or chemical components.
Zoological Record
Zoological Record is the oldest and largest reference index in animal science. Since 1864, it has recorded all significant research papers related to animal taxonomy, behavior, ecology, and evolution. Scientists use it for analyzing animal classification and evolutionary history.
Data Citation Index (DCI)
The Data Citation Index (DCI) is a specialized index for research data sets. It helps track the citations of datasets used in research and makes it easier to find reliable data. DCI plays a significant role in big data research and reproducibility studies.
Food Science and Technology Abstracts (FSTA)
Food Science and Technology Abstracts (FSTA) is a world-class reference database for food science, nutrition, and agricultural research. All major research papers on food production, safety, technology, nutrition, and food science are included here. Food scientists and agricultural researchers use FSTA extensively.
KCI Korean Journal Database
KCI (Korea Citation Index) or the Korean Journal Database is a South Korea-based research indexing platform primarily created to make research papers published by various Korean universities, research institutions, and researchers visible internationally. It is operated by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Korea and makes research published in Korean readily accessible to global readers and researchers. This index works as a part of Clarivate’s Web of Science platform, which allows journals listed in KCI to be easily found and cited by Web of Science users. The research papers included in KCI are not only of local importance but also cover internationally relevant topics, helping to enhance scientific exchange and global research collaboration.
Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI)
The Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI) is a dedicated index, specially developed to present Russian research papers and journals on the international research platform, primarily highlighting research published in Russian on the global map.
SciELO Citation Index
The SciELO Citation Index is an important research index mainly for research papers from Latin America, Spain, Portugal, and the Caribbean. Added to the Web of Science platform by Clarivate Analytics, it helps evaluate the quality of local and regional research and ensure its integration into the global research sphere.
Note: Collected from Facebook:——–
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19wvhkJU6u/
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