Types of Indexing in Journals
There are at least seven (7) types of indexing in journals where series of publications are added to a database. The major types of indexing in journals are listed according to bibliography, open access, abstracting, citations, etc.
What is a Journal Index?
A journal index is a list of different serials arranged by categories. The index may be in categories by subject, discipline, geography, and so much more. A journal index is useful to query a large database for studies and/or data on different subjects.
Journal indexes are usually open access and academics or other members of the public can easily search through the database. Publishing your research in indexed journals gives your articles more credibility and attracts greater traffic to your work.
Types of Indexing in Journals
1. Bibliographical indexing
This indexer holds information for journal articles and similar serials. The indexer provides access to users through the internet to a specific body of work (articles about health, finance, technology, etc.). The indexer also determines outlines for subject information and citations.
Bibliographical indexers aim to do the following:
- describe documents and give information about citations and other details ,
- identify information about articles like their subject terms, specialty area, and more,
- describe contents of a journal article in a summary (as an abstract)
- provide database records for items to allow access to various related literature stored on its list(s)
Bibliographical indexing gives journals greater publicity than many other databases. Some bibliographical indexers have combined audiences across regions and with active readers in tens of thousands.
2. Geographical indexing
Geographical indexing refers to listing of journals according to their region. Journals focused on issues important to a particular culture or group can also feature in such indexes. Geographical indexing is important as these databases help define journals with peculiar issues concerning a particular entity within closed areas.
Audiences can easily view these indexes for relevant publications without needing to search international journals. Some international indexes may not have peculiar information you can find on regional databases.
3. Open Access indexing
Open Access indexing involves listing journals with no subscription plan or viewing fees to a database. This indexing type is usually preferred for public access journals keen to attract more visibility and citations to their listed articles.
4. Subject-Specific indexing
Subject-specific indexing refers to adding journals to a database with coverage over a specific discipline, field, or topic. Journals indexed in this category usually feature topics on a specific subject and rarely deviate to discuss other topics.
5. National indexing
National indexing involves adding journals to a database in a country. This kind of journal indexing works best for publications with topics concerning a country or sub-region.
6. Web of Science indexing
Web of Science acts as a database of different academic articles, research publications and other papers. Most students and researchers can access content through Web of Science indexing since it is usually holds journals with free content for all readers.
7. Digital Object Identifier indexing
Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) are unique details assigned to published articles and other objects. These identifiers are an index and can easily show listed journals and other serial publications.
DOI indexing is a suitable choice for many journals since it makes publications easy to locate even if other details change.
8. Institutional indexing
Institutional indexing involves including journals and limiting its publications to specific universities or other institutions. Many high-quality academic articles come from journals listed under an institutional index. Journals indexed in this manner are usually of superior value in the academic and research community.
Who Creates Indexes for Journals?
Different organizations create indexes for journals. Some top creators of indexing for journals include:
Analytics firms
Analytics companies like Clarivate Analytics maintain top journal indexes like the Web of Science (WOS) collection. Such indexing holds listing information for journals on pure sciences, social sciences, humanities, emerging innovations, and much more.
Public organizations
Some public journal indexes are maintained by government-affiliated organizations. Top journal indexes like PubMed receive funding and maintenance from organizations like the US National Library of Medicine.
Publishers
Publishers like Wiley and Elsevier usually maintain journal indexes and includes publications about technology and many other topics.
How Does Journal Indexing Work?
A journal can be included in an index when it meets certain criteria. All indexes have different requirements all journals must satisfy before acceptance which include:
- A defined schedule for publishing articles,
- An International Standard Serial Number (ISSN),
- Copyright protection, and
- Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs)
Indexers may also consider the following before listing journals on their database:
- Publication history,
- Scope of journal,
- Editing process,
- Authorship diversity,
- Technical elements (cascading metadata, Web crawlers, content deposits)
- Accuracy of citations, etc.
Indexers will include journals after all requirements are met.
Why is Journal Indexing Important?
Indexing is important to journals because:
- It acts as a default identifier,
- Journal indexing can help detect unethical publication practices,
- Indexing helps journals and readers track vital metrics about a series of publications, and
- Journal indexing helps in comparing multiple series of publications on a subject or different topics
Essential Criteria a Journal Must Satisfy for Indexing
A journal must satisfy certain requirements to earn its listing in an index. Some of the essential criteria according to set industry guidelines include:
- Standard requirements all submitted articles must meet,
- Peer review policy,
- Transparency of the journal’s editorial board, and
- Appropriate identifiers (DOIs and ISSNs)
- Copyright requirements for submitted and published articles
Final Word
It is worth noting that journals can be indexed in more than one database. Journals included in multiple databases usually have greater reach and are accessible to a wider audience. Indexing also has limitations and may harm the spread of some publications to more readers.
Journals usually choose indexing types with more benefits to their spread, reputation, and published articles. Most journals list their series with indexing types that guarantee their short-term needs and long-term goals.