Scopus & Web of Science Options for Botswana

Are you a researcher in Botswana who needs Scopus or Web of Science journals? At the time of our check, we could not confirm any journal published in Botswana in either database, so the path goes through African and international titles. Here we explain how to find them, verify them and budget for the costs.

Scopus and Web of Science: The Essentials

Elsevier’s Scopus is a selectively curated database of abstracts and citations; CiteScore comes from it, and the SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) draws on its data. Web of Science belongs to Clarivate. Its Core Collection covers ESCI (emerging sources), AHCI (arts and humanities), SSCI (social sciences) and SCIE (sciences), while Journal Citation Reports is where the Journal Impact Factor appears. Journals in both are reassessed and may be removed. Further reading: Scopus explained and Web of Science explained.

Botswana’s national journal system is small, and as far as we were able to verify, none of the journals published in the country is in Scopus or Web of Science. Smaller research systems often face the same situation. According to a 2025 study of Scopus-indexed journals in Africa, indexed African titles cluster in a handful of countries. A small national system is no reason to lower your standards when you select a journal.

Journals in Botswana Indexed by Scopus and Web of Science: Where Things Stand

When indexed publication is the aim, researchers in Botswana typically pick indexed African journals, such as medical, agricultural and science titles from Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa, or international journals in their discipline.

Several other respected journals; Scopus or Web of Science indexing is not confirmed

Checked 4 October 2026. “Reported” means the journal or publisher says so; we have not independently confirmed it.

Indexing Verification Checklist

1. Obtain the ISSNPrint and online ISSN, as shown on the official site
2. Scopus SourcesLook up the ISSN, then see coverage years and status
3. Master Journal ListLook up the ISSN; see which of SCIE, SSCI, AHCI or ESCI applies
4. Still active?Consult the discontinued titles list from Scopus
5. Save the evidenceScreenshots showing the date, for a promotion or grant file

International Publishing From Botswana

Few of the journals published in Botswana are found in Scopus or Web of Science, so most researchers needing indexed outlets also publish internationally, in African regional titles, society journals and the big international publishers. A 2025 study of Scopus coverage in Africa (Kanyika & Kim) calls this a “continued struggle”, noting that African journals in Scopus are increasing in number, though slowly.

Three points deserve a check before you settle on an international journal. One is the article processing charge (APC), including any waivers or discounts the publisher gives authors in lower- and middle-income countries. Another is whether your institution or funder covers APCs. The third is whether your field has a diamond open access journal, free to read and to publish in; DOAJ can filter by “without fees”. Your institution’s research office can tell you whether publication costs may be supported. Raise the cost question with co-authors early, before the manuscript is finished.

Quartiles, Impact Factor and Top-Tier Journals

Keep track of where each metric originates. For Web of Science titles the Journal Impact Factor appears in Journal Citation Reports; Scopus is the basis of CiteScore and SJR. Being Q1 places a journal in the highest quarter of its subject category in that year alone — compare only when both category and year are the same.

In Botswana, the highest-impact journals in a given field are generally international rather than local. To find them, browse subject categories in Journal Citation Reports, Scopus Sources or SCImago and read some recent articles to see whether the journal fits. Our guide to finding high impact factor journals describes the method in detail.

Picking an Indexed Journal for Your Subject

Indexed African Journals Worth Considering

A number of journals from other African countries report Scopus or Web of Science coverage and accept authors from all over the continent. Our country guides give examples together with the indexing each reports: Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt and Morocco. Before you submit, verify every one by ISSN. Reading a few recent issues also shows whether a journal’s readership matches your own.

Getting Your Paper Ready for an Indexed Journal

The most frequent fate of a submission at a selective journal is desk rejection, although you can often avoid it. Before sending your paper:

• Judge the match through the aims and scope statement and three recent articles; if your manuscript would stand out awkwardly, look elsewhere.
• Show why a local study matters worldwide. Describe the lessons your data or setting offer to readers elsewhere.
• Polish wording and layout. Having a colleague read it, or paying for expert editing, is useful for authors whose first language is not English.
• Answer reviewers completely. Should you be asked to revise, deal with each comment in a response table.

Frequent Mistakes With Indexed Journals

• Believing a logo displayed on the journal’s front page in place of the database record.
• Failing to say which index — “Web of Science” can stand for SCIE, SSCI, AHCI or ESCI.
• Not noticing a discontinuation — indexing that applied last year may have ended.
• Picking solely by a metric — a journal outside your field will quickly reject the paper.

Practical Tips for Botswana Researchers Choosing Indexed Journals

Researchers in Botswana can draw on regional networks across southern Africa as well as global journals. These suggestions help you find suitable outlets and present locally grounded work to wider audiences.

• Explore regional journals as stepping stones. Look at established journals from across Africa that welcome work on regional themes. Publishing there can build experience with peer review before you target broader international titles.
• Build links through regional networks. Join research networks and professional associations in southern Africa, and attend their meetings when possible. Contacts made there lead to co-authors, reviewers and honest advice about journals.
• Make local findings relevant abroad. Show how results from Botswana connect to wider questions, such as comparable settings or shared challenges. Editors prefer papers whose lessons travel beyond a single country.
• Take care with data access. Plan for dependable internet and file backups when working with large datasets or collaborative documents. Losing work in transit near a deadline is entirely preventable.
• Ask mentors to read your draft. Request comments from a senior colleague, ideally someone who has published internationally, before submitting. Their feedback highlights gaps in framing that insiders often overlook.

Use regional networks and mentors to gain experience, then frame your Botswana-based findings so international readers see their wider value.

Questions Researchers Often Ask

Summary and What to Do Next

Indexed publication from Botswana depends on choosing carefully among African and international journals. Begin at the databases, verify through the ISSN and budget for costs from the outset.

1. Check whether the requirement you follow names a quartile, an index, Web of Science or Scopus.
2. Pick candidate journals for your field from the tables above as well as international databases.
3. Check each title by its ISSN and keep a record of what you find.
4. Options outside the indexed group are covered in the list of research journals in Botswana.

References and Sources

Checked on 4 October 2026. Indexing status can change, so confirm it before submitting.

• SCImago journal rankings — Botswana
• Kanyika & Kim (2025), Continued struggle: the growth of Scopus-indexed journals in Africa
• Discoverability of African journals by Google Scholar and inclusion in Scopus (PMC)
• African Journals Online
• Scopus Sources
• Clarivate Master Journal List
• ISSN Portal
• SCImago Journal & Country Rank
• Journal Citation Reports