Scopus Discontinuation Notice: Warning Signs and Prevention
Reviewed by the NeucitePress Editorial Board — PhD academics, peer-reviewed journal editors and subject-matter specialists.
Last updated: October 2026 • Reviewed by the NeucitePress Editorial Board • Reading time: 6 minutes
Being indexed in Scopus today does not guarantee being indexed next year. Scopus runs an ongoing re-evaluation program, and a title that is flagged can have its content flow suspended and, after review, be discontinued. For an author, that raises two questions: how do I avoid choosing such a journal, and what happens to the papers I have already published? This guide answers both from Scopus’s own published policy.
How Scopus decides to re-evaluate a journal
According to Elsevier’s Scopus content policy, titles are flagged for re-evaluation in two ways:
- Validated concerns from the community about a journal’s publication practices.
- An automated data model that detects outlier or unexpected performance.
Once a concern is validated, the title goes to the Content Selection and Advisory Board (CSAB), which re-evaluates it against the same criteria used for new suggestions. While that happens, content flow for the title is suspended. The CSAB then decides whether coverage continues or is discontinued. Scopus publishes a list of discontinued sources and says it is updated monthly, and a discontinued title faces an embargo before it can be suggested again.
How the process runs
What happens to articles already indexed
Scopus states that content already indexed stays in the database for the stability of the scientific record when a journal is discontinued or put on hold. The exception is proven, severe unethical publication practice, where content already indexed “may be removed.” In practice, an article published while the journal was indexed normally remains searchable, but the journal’s future papers will not be added, and a discontinuation can still hurt how the venue is perceived by evaluators and readers.
Warning signs worth checking before you submit
Scopus does not publish numeric thresholds for what its data model treats as “outlier” behaviour, so be cautious of anyone who quotes exact cut-offs. These checks rest on what Scopus and the publishing-ethics community actually say:
- Confirm the title is active in Scopus. Search the journal in Scopus Sources and check the discontinued-sources list. Do not rely on a logo or claim on the journal’s own website.
- Look for the minimum technical signals Scopus requires: a public description of the peer review process, regular publication with an ISSN, English abstracts and titles, and a public publication ethics and malpractice statement.
- Look for sudden change. A large jump in the number of articles per year, or a pattern of citations concentrated in a handful of titles, is the kind of signal automated models look for. It is a reason to ask questions, not proof of a problem.
- Check transparency. The COPE, DOAJ, OASPA and WAME Principles of Transparency and Best Practice expect clear information on peer review, fees, ownership, editors with affiliations, and archiving. Journals should not guarantee acceptance.
- Re-check close to submission, because the discontinued list is updated monthly.
If you edit or publish a journal
Re-evaluation uses the same criteria as a new application, so the practical defence is to keep every item above in good order and documented: an accurate public description of peer review, a visible ethics and malpractice statement, a regular publishing schedule, and citation and publication patterns you can explain. Scopus also notes that a discontinued title faces an embargo before it can be suggested again, so prevention is far cheaper than recovery.
Frequently asked questions
Why do journals lose Scopus coverage?
Scopus describes two routes: validated publication concerns raised by the community, and an automated model that detects outlier or unexpected performance. Flagged titles are re-evaluated by the CSAB against the same criteria used for new titles.
How do I check whether a journal is currently indexed?
Search the title in Scopus Sources and review Scopus’s discontinued-sources list, which Scopus says is updated monthly. Check again just before you submit.
Can a well-known journal be discontinued?
Scopus’s process is based on the journal’s practices and performance data, not its reputation, so any title can be flagged and re-evaluated.
Is my published article removed if the journal is discontinued?
Not normally. Scopus says content already indexed remains, except where proven, severe unethical practice leads to removal.
NeucitePress services for journal publishers
Three ways we help journals meet the standards that indexing databases look for. Inclusion in any database is decided solely by that database.
A twelve-month package: policies written for your journal and aligned with COPE and ICMJE, board renewal, integrity screening for an agreed volume of submissions, an ethics case retainer, training and an annual compliance review.
A board gap analysis, a screened candidate list and structured approaches in the journal’s name, ending in a shortlist of researchers who agreed in principle. Every appointment is made by your journal.
Ten papers, each given a scored screening report with a recommendation, plus every reference checked against Crossref, PubMed and OpenAlex. Credits do not expire.
