Same journal but different numbers of published records indexed in Scopus and Web of Science Core Collection: causes, consequences, and solutions

Scopus and Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) are the two most authoritative and widely-used bibliographic databases. However, for the double-indexed open access mega journal IEEE Access, we found large discrepancies regarding the numbers of published records based on journal publisher, Scopus, and WoSCC. Considering that Segal's law will confuse many users and affect the reliability of various metrics derived from these two authoritative bibliographic databases, this study conducted a large scale and thorough comparison between the data collected from the journal publisher's website and these two bibliographic databases. Apart from different policies towards the index of different document types, this study identified four main representative causes for the discrepancies through case study (including the serious record omission and duplicate entry problems). Possible consequences and solutions were also provided.

Automated summary

This study conducted a comprehensive comparison between the data collected from the journal publisher's website and the two authoritative bibliographic databases, Scopus and WoSCC, and identified four main causes for the discrepancies. Possible consequences and solutions were also provided based on case studies.