Scopus & Web of Science Journals: Malaysia

Looking for Scopus or Web of Science journals in Malaysia? The country has a sturdy group of indexed university journals in science, medicine and the social sciences. This guide gives examples along with the index each one reports, clarifies where MyCite fits, and shows how to check indexing by ISSN.

Scopus and Web of Science: The Essentials

Elsevier’s database Scopus indexes abstracts and citations selectively, generates CiteScore, and its data feeds the SCImago Journal Rank (SJR). Clarivate’s Web of Science has a Core Collection comprising AHCI (arts and humanities), ESCI (emerging sources), SCIE (sciences) and SSCI (social sciences); the Journal Impact Factor is published through Journal Citation Reports. Both periodically re-evaluate journals and may discontinue some. Want more detail? Read Scopus explained and Web of Science explained.

Malaysia’s indexed titles sit in several Web of Science indexes. SCIE is reported by Sains Malaysiana, SSCI by the Malaysian Journal of Library & Information Science, and ESCI by the Pertanika journals, Kajian Malaysia and the Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences. To see the entire Scopus-based list, narrow SCImago’s rankings to Malaysia, and for national citation data turn to the Malaysian Journal Citation Report from MyCite.

Public research universities publish most of these journals through their own presses, which keeps charges low compared with many commercial publishers. Before submitting, find out whether the journal runs mainly in English or in Malay as well, and whether it favours Malaysian or regional subjects: journals such as Kajian Malaysia concentrate on Malaysian studies, whereas Sains Malaysiana and the Pertanika journals welcome international submissions. Reading the author guidelines closely saves time and reduces the chance of an early desk rejection.

Scopus and Web of Science Journals From Malaysia

The titles below are produced in Malaysia and state, on their own websites or via their publisher, that Scopus and/or Web of Science covers them. On the day you make your decision, verify each ISSN in Scopus Sources and the Master Journal List.

Other journals worth noting (we have not confirmed their Scopus or Web of Science indexing)

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

Indexing Verification Checklist

1. Note the ISSNThe print and online ISSN listed on the official website
2. Scopus SourcesQuery by ISSN; confirm the status and years covered
3. Master Journal ListQuery by ISSN, then identify SCIE, SSCI, AHCI or ESCI
4. Discontinuation checkReview Scopus’s list of titles that were discontinued
5. Log itCapture screenshots with dates for your grant or promotion file

International Publishing for Researchers in Malaysia

Researchers in Malaysia can draw on more indexed national journals than researchers in many countries, yet in most fields the broadest selection remains international. Looking abroad, weigh the article processing charge (APC), whether a publisher agreement at your university pays it, and whether your field has a diamond open access journal (no fees for authors or readers); DOAJ lets you filter by “without fees”.

Find out from your university’s research management centre what publication incentives and APC support exist, and confirm that your grant allows publication costs.

Quartiles, Impact Factor and Top-Tier Journals

Always keep track of the origin of a metric. Journal Citation Reports gives the Journal Impact Factor for Web of Science journals; CiteScore and SJR are derived from Scopus. A Q1 journal is in the top quarter of its subject category for that year only — so a comparison makes sense only within the same category and year.

Malaysian researchers will typically see the highest-impact journals in their field being international rather than local. Look them up by subject category in Journal Citation Reports, Scopus Sources or SCImago, then read recent articles to judge the match. Our guide to finding high impact factor journals describes the method one step at a time.

Picking an Indexed Journal for Your Subject

Getting Your Paper Ready for an Indexed Journal

Selective journals reject most submissions at the desk, though careful preparation often prevents it. Before submitting your paper:

• Check whether it matches by reading the aims and scope and three recent articles; where the manuscript seems an awkward fit, look elsewhere.
• Make a local study relevant to the world. Say what your data or context teaches readers elsewhere.
• Improve wording and presentation. If English is not your first language, ask a colleague to read the manuscript or pay for expert editing.
• Respond fully to reviewers. When you are asked to revise, take up each comment one by one in a response table.

Frequent Mistakes With Indexed Journals

• Trusting a badge on a journal’s website and skipping the database record.
• Omitting the index name — “Web of Science” could be any of SCIE, SSCI, AHCI or ESCI.
• Ignoring discontinuation — last year’s indexing status may have changed since.
• Judging by metric alone — papers outside a journal’s scope get rejected rapidly.

Practical Tips for Malaysian Scholars Weighing Indexing Choices

Malaysian universities often track several kinds of recognition, which can make planning confusing. These pointers help postgraduate students and academics decide where to send work without losing momentum.

• Ask supervisors about local expectations. Graduation and promotion rules differ between institutions. Confirm in writing which kinds of indexed publication your faculty accepts before you commit months of effort to one target.
• Separate national and global lists. A national citation list and an international database serve different purposes. Note which one each candidate journal appears in, and do not assume that one automatically implies the other.
• Prepare a thesis-to-article plan. Decide which chapters can become separate papers and in what order. Rewrite each as a self-contained argument rather than pasting thesis sections, which usually read as too long and too descriptive.
• Check the ISSN on official records. Search the exact ISSN in the database you rely on, and compare publisher details. Mismatches are a warning to pause and ask the editorial office before you pay or submit.
• Keep a submission log. Record each journal, submission date, decision and reviewer theme in a simple spreadsheet. Patterns in feedback help you improve the next draft and avoid repeating a mismatch.

Confirm what your institution counts, verify the journal by ISSN, and turn thesis material into focused, self-contained articles.

Questions Researchers Often Ask

Summary and What to Do Next

Indexed journals in Malaysia give researchers trustworthy local choices in several fields. Look at the precise index your requirement names, verify the ISSN and decide on suitability.

1. See whether your rule asks for a quartile, an index, Web of Science or Scopus.
2. Use the tables above and international databases to shortlist journals relevant to your field.
3. Check each title by its ISSN and keep a record of what you find.
4. Look at the list of research journals in Malaysia if you want options that are not indexed.

References and Sources

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

• SCImago journal rankings — Malaysia
• MyCite
• Sains Malaysiana
• Malaysian Journal of Library & Information Science
• Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences
• Scopus Sources
• Clarivate Master Journal List
• ISSN Portal
• SCImago Journal & Country Rank
• Journal Citation Reports