Analyzing the Degree of Changes in Indexed Journals: The Case of SJR Database

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the degree of changes in indexed journals within a database using SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) as a proxy for Scopus. We downloaded SJR-listed journal data to examine journal evolution over the past decade (2013–2022) and analyzed them in terms of the following metrics: the number of journals, growth rates, normalized growth and the Jaccard index. The findings revealed a significant increase in Scopus-indexed journals during this period, with journals growing from 23,957 in 2013 to 27,033 (12.8 percent) but declining after peaking at 28,099 in 2019. Open access (OA) journals exhibited remarkable growth and higher turnover (48.3 percent) than non-OA journals (2.3 percent). For a thorough assessment of journal growth and overlap, we propose using a quadrant analysis. Using this approach, we found an inverse relationship between the normalized growth rate and the Jaccard index across different subject areas and countries. The methods described in this study can be used to analyze changes in indexed journals in other databases and thus contribute to a better understanding of its indexed journals.