Coverage Comparison
- Scopus: 88M+ records from 27,000+ journals. Stronger in social sciences, arts, and humanities. Broader geographic coverage.
- Web of Science Core Collection: ~21,000 journals, stricter quality standards. Gold standard for STEM citation analysis. Impact Factor exclusively from WoS JCR.
Metrics Comparison
- Impact Factor: Only via WoS JCR.
- CiteScore: Only via Scopus.
- H-index: Can differ significantly — always specify source.
For Literature Searching
Use both — they complement each other. For systematic reviews, searching both plus PubMed is standard practice.
For Journal Selection
Use WoS JCR for IF and quartile data. Use Scopus/Scimago for CiteScore and SJR. Verify journal status in both before submission.