Scopus April 2026 Update: 70 Newly Indexed Journals — Complete List, Analysis, and What Researchers Need to Know
If you are a researcher, PhD scholar, or academic professional, there is one question that silently governs your publishing decisions every single day: Is this journal on Scopus?
That question matters more than ever in 2026. Promotions, grant approvals, university rankings, and even visa applications for international fellowships increasingly hinge on whether your research output is indexed in a recognized global database. And Scopus — the world’s largest abstract and citation database — sits right at the center of that conversation.
In April 2026, Scopus officially added 70 new journals to its indexed sources list. This is one of the most significant monthly updates this year, driven in large part by a major onboarding wave from academic publisher Walter de Gruyter. Eleven journals were also removed in the same cycle, reinforcing that Scopus treats indexing as a continuous quality exercise, not a permanent certificate.
But before we get into the April 2026 list, let us start from the very beginning — because understanding what Scopus is, who built it, and how it actually works will change how you use it.
What Is Scopus and Why Does Its Index Matter?
Scopus was launched in November 2004 by Elsevier B.V., the Dutch-British academic publishing giant headquartered in Amsterdam. Scopus is the world’s largest curated abstract and citation database for peer-reviewed academic literature, operated by Elsevier B.V. It covers more than 27,000 journals across science, technology, medicine, social sciences, arts, and humanities. Unlike a simple aggregator, Scopus actively curates its source list — meaning inclusion is earned, not automatic, and status can be revoked.
For researchers, PhD scholars, and academic institutions worldwide, Scopus indexing carries enormous professional weight. Publications in Scopus-indexed journals are recognized by universities for tenure and promotion decisions, by funding bodies for grant eligibility, and by national research assessment frameworks in countries including India (UGC), the United Kingdom (REF), Australia (ERA), and dozens more. Your Scopus h-index and citation count are standard credentials in academic hiring shortlists globally.
This is not a nice-to-have. For many researchers, publishing in a Scopus-indexed venue is a mandatory threshold — not meeting it means your work is effectively invisible in institutional metrics, regardless of its scientific merit.
The Elsevier–Scopus Relationship: Ownership and Responsibility
Scopus is fully owned and operated by Elsevier B.V., a subsidiary of the RELX Group (formerly Reed Elsevier), one of the world’s largest information analytics companies. Elsevier is also responsible for Scopus’s content selection policy.
This dual role — being both a journal publisher and the operator of a major indexing database — has historically drawn scrutiny. Critics have questioned whether Elsevier journals receive preferential treatment in the indexing process. In response to this concern, Elsevier took a significant structural step in 2005: it established the Scopus Content Selection & Advisory Board (CSAB).
Scopus April 2026 Update: The Big Picture
In its April 2026 round, the CSAB accepted 70 new journals for inclusion in the Scopus database while simultaneously discontinuing 11 journals that no longer met its quality standards. This dual movement — adding and removing — is the signature of Scopus’s approach to quality control and distinguishes it from databases that simply accumulate titles over time.
To put this in context: in 2025, Scopus removed 56 journals across the full year. The March 2026 update removed 7 journals. The April 2026 removal of 11 in a single cycle signals that Scopus is accelerating its quality audit process — a trend researchers should monitor closely, particularly if their target journals are newer or less established.
The 70 new journals span more than nine distinct academic disciplines, include titles from publishers on four continents, and range from highly specialized technical journals (IEEE Transactions on Radar Systems) to broad interdisciplinary venues (Journal of Safety and Sustainability). This breadth reflects Scopus’s strategic goal of comprehensively covering global scholarly output, not just Western or English-language literature.
Complete List of 70 New Scopus Journals — April 2026
The following table contains all 70 journals accepted by the Scopus CSAB in Scopus April 2026 update. Data includes the journal title, ISSN (print), E-ISSN (electronic), and publisher. Use the ISSN values to verify status directly on the official Scopus Sources page.
How to Verify a Journal's Scopus Status (Step-by-Step)
1. Go to the official Scopus Sources page
Navigate to scopus.com/sources.uri — this is the only authoritative source for Scopus indexing status. Third-party claims, including publisher websites, are not substitutes.
2. Search by ISSN, not just title
Journal names can be similar or changed. Searching by the exact ISSN or E-ISSN from the table above eliminates ambiguity. Use the numerical format shown (e.g., 2832-7357 for IEEE Radar Systems).
3. Check the status field carefully
A journal can appear in Scopus search results with different statuses: “Active,” “Discontinued,” or “Re-evaluated.” Only “Active” status means your paper will be indexed. “Discontinued” means even papers already published there may be removed from future Scopus searches.
4. Note the coverage period
The coverage start year tells you from when articles are indexed. For newly accepted journals, coverage may begin from a future date — meaning articles published before the coverage start won’t appear in Scopus even if the journal is now listed.
5. Cross-check the journal’s own APC and submission policies
Scopus indexing says nothing about article processing charges (APCs). Some newly indexed journals are fully open access with APCs; others are subscription-based with no author fees. Always visit the journal’s own website to confirm costs before submitting.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How many journals did Scopus add in April 2026?
Scopus added 70 new peer-reviewed journals in its April 2026 CSAB update. These span disciplines including engineering, medicine, AI, social sciences, law, agriculture, mathematics, linguistics, and humanities.
2. Which publisher added the most journals to Scopus in April 2026?
Walter de Gruyter added the most — 23 out of 70 new entries, representing approximately 33% of all April 2026 additions. This makes April 2026 a landmark update for the Berlin-based academic publisher.
3. How does Scopus decide which journals to accept or reject?
Scopus uses an independent Content Selection & Advisory Board (CSAB) that evaluates journals on editorial transparency, peer review integrity, citation patterns, publication regularity, and ethical standards. Only journals meeting all criteria are recommended for acceptance. Elsevier, which owns Scopus, makes final decisions in consultation with the CSAB.
4. Can I submit my paper to a newly added Scopus journal immediately?
Yes — you can submit as soon as the journal is on the official Scopus Sources list with “Active” status. However, note that newly accepted journals are described as “in the process of being added,” meaning your published article may take additional weeks to appear in Scopus search results while back-catalogue and metadata processing completes.
5. How many journals did Scopus remove in April 2026?
Scopus discontinued 11 journals in the April 2026 update. This is higher than the March 2026 removal of 7 journals, suggesting an ongoing intensification of Scopus’s quality audit process.
Conclusion
The Scopus April 2026 update — 70 journals added, 11 discontinued — represents a substantive development in the global academic publishing landscape. Notably, it expands indexed coverage across disciplines, ranging from quantum computing and electrochemistry to linguistic studies, evolutionary biology, and public health surveillance. Moreover, the scale of Walter de Gruyter’s additions alone underscores that this cycle is historically noteworthy, particularly for humanities and social sciences researchers.
Scopus, now in its third decade of operation, continues to function as one of the most consequential infrastructures in academic research — shaping where scholars publish, how their work is evaluated, and how institutions measure research excellence. Staying current with its monthly updates is not peripheral to a researcher’s professional practice. It is central to it. If you need guidance or PhD support, connect with Kenfra Research, one of the best PhD assistance in India, to navigate your research journey with confidence.
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