What to Do If a Good Research Paper Is Published in a Low-Quality Journal Not Indexed in SCI or Scopus?
Sometimes, a scholar publishes a high-quality research paper with a novel methodology in a low-quality or non-indexed journal. Even though the research work is strong, the journal itself may not be indexed in SCI or Scopus. In such a case, the paper cannot be directly added to SCI or Scopus by the author.
Important Truth
Indexing is done for journals, not for individual papers. A scholar cannot request SCI or Scopus to index only one paper. Only the journal publisher can apply for indexing.
Why the Paper Cannot Be Indexed Individually
- SCI and Scopus evaluate the entire journal
- They check editorial quality, peer review, and ethics
- They do not index single articles separately
- Low-quality journals usually fail these criteria
What Can the Scholar Do?
1. Publish an Extended Version in a Better Journal
The scholar can prepare a significantly improved version of the paper with:
- Additional experiments
- New results
- Improved methodology
- Better analysis
This new paper must be submitted to an SCI or Scopus indexed journal, clearly stating it is an extension of earlier work.
2. Cite the Old Paper and Add New Contribution
The original low-quality journal paper should be cited as previous work. The new paper must show what is new and improved.
3. Upload the Paper to Research Platforms
- Google Scholar
- ResearchGate
- ORCID
- Institutional repository
This improves visibility, even if the journal is not indexed.
4. Do Not Republish the Same Paper
Publishing the same content again without significant changes is considered self-plagiarism and is unethical.
What the Scholar Should NOT Do
- Request SCI or Scopus to index only one paper
- Resubmit the same paper to another journal
- Claim the paper is SCI or Scopus indexed
- Pay fake indexing agencies
Long-Term Solution
If the scholar believes the journal quality should be improved, only the journal publisher can apply for SCI or Scopus indexing by meeting all quality and ethical standards.
Conclusion
If a high-quality paper is published in a low-quality, non-indexed journal, the scholar cannot request SCI or Scopus to index that single paper. The best solution is to write a significantly extended and improved version of the work and publish it in a reputed SCI or Scopus indexed journal while citing the original work properly.