SCI / SCIE Publication Support
Targeting SCIE journals properly: verified indexing, a rigorous manuscript and support through review.
“SCI paper” is still how many Indian universities, funding schemes and promotion circulars describe the publication they want, particularly in science, engineering, medicine and agriculture. In practice it now means a journal in Clarivate’s Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), one of the indexes of the Web of Science Core Collection. These journals are selective, their reviewers expect rigorous methods and complete reporting, and review commonly runs to the longer end of the three-to-eight-month range, and sometimes beyond it.
Scholars usually come to us at one of two moments. Either they have results good enough to aim at an SCIE journal and want the manuscript to hold up under demanding review, or they have been offered “SCI publication” on a set date and want to check the journal first. We help with the first, and we will check the journal for the second whether or not you work with us.
An SCIE journal’s review runs at its own pace and to its own standards. Our focus is on reducing the number of rounds: a paper whose statistics, controls and reporting are right the first time spends less of its life being revised.
Scope
What’s included
Buy only what you need. A strong paper may need just the journal targeting and the rigour review; a first paper usually benefits from most stages.
Journal targeting in MJL and JCR
A shortlist of SCIE journals that publish work like yours, each confirmed on the Master Journal List, with its Journal Impact Factor and category quartile taken from JCR where your rules require them.
Scientific rigour review
A referee-style read of design, controls, sample size, statistics and reproducibility, plus the reporting checklist your field expects, such as CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA or ARRIVE where they apply.
Manuscript development
Work on the contribution statement, positioning against recent literature in high-impact journals, results presentation and a discussion that stays within what the data show.
Journal formatting and submission pack
Formatting to the target journal, cover letter, highlights, graphical abstract where asked for, and the declarations SCIE journals routinely require.
Revision support
Response letter and revised manuscript when the reviews arrive, including planning any additional experiments or analyses a reviewer asks for.
Free journal check
Send us the name or ISSN of any journal described as “SCI indexed”. We will tell you what the Master Journal List actually shows for it, at no cost.
Quality
How quality is verified
These are the checks every piece of work goes through before it reaches you.
SCIE edition confirmed, not just “Web of Science”
We check the Master Journal List entry shows Science Citation Index Expanded specifically, matching ISSN, title and publisher, because a journal can be in Web of Science without being in SCIE.
Impact factor taken from JCR
Any impact factor or quartile we quote comes from Journal Citation Reports, with the edition year stated, rather than from a figure printed on the journal’s own website.
Statistics checked by someone who uses them
Tests, assumptions, effect sizes and multiple-comparison handling are reviewed by a person who does this analysis in their own work, in addition to a language editor.
Reporting checklist completed
Where a reporting guideline applies to your study type, we complete it against your manuscript and flag every item that is missing or unclear.
Similarity report and reference verification
A similarity report with each draft, and every reference opened and checked to support the statement it is cited for.
Time
Realistic timelines
Our work takes weeks; the journal’s process takes months. SCIE journals vary a great deal, and many publish their median time to first decision, which is worth checking before you choose.
| Stage | Typical time | Who controls it |
|---|---|---|
| Journal targeting and verification | 3–5 working days | Us |
| Rigour review and manuscript development | 2–5 weeks | Us and you; longer if new analysis is needed |
| Formatting and submission pack | 1 week | Us |
| Editorial screening | 1–4 weeks | The journal |
| First round of peer review | 2–5 months | The journal and its reviewers |
| Revision, including any new experiments | 3 weeks to 3 months | You, with our help |
| Re-review and decision | 1–3 months | The journal |
Terminology
SCI, SCIE and the impact factor
Most of the confusion in this area comes from loose use of three terms.
SCI and SCIE
The original Science Citation Index was a smaller, highly selective subset of science journals; the Expanded edition covered a larger set. Clarivate no longer maintains SCI as a separate product: those journals are covered in SCIE, and the Master Journal List shows SCIE as the edition. So when a university circular asks for an “SCI journal”, it almost always means SCIE in practice. If your rule could be read more narrowly, ask your department for the exact wording in writing.
What the Journal Impact Factor is
The Journal Impact Factor is a journal-level citation measure calculated by Clarivate and released each year in Journal Citation Reports, usually around June. It describes the journal, not your paper, and it is only comparable within a subject category. Quartiles (Q1 to Q4) rank journals within each category, so the same journal can be Q1 in one category and Q2 in another. Our guide to impact factors, quartiles and the h-index explains where to look each one up.
Impact factors that are not the Impact Factor
Several organisations with similar-sounding names sell “impact factors” to journals. These are separate from Clarivate, so a journal advertising one of them is not showing evidence of SCIE indexing. If the number on a journal’s website cannot be found in JCR, check the journal further before submitting.
SCIE and the rest of Web of Science
SCIE sits alongside the social sciences, arts and humanities, and emerging sources indexes. A journal in the Emerging Sources Citation Index is in Web of Science but is not an SCIE journal. Whether your university accepts it is a separate question; our page on Web of Science publication support covers the differences.
Pricing
How pricing works
We give a fixed quote after seeing your manuscript (or your results, if the paper is not written yet) and agree it in writing before starting. There is no rate card because SCIE work varies widely: a rigour review of a clinical study is a different job from formatting a materials-science letter.
SCIE journals include both subscription journals, which often charge authors nothing, and open-access journals with article processing charges. Any APC is paid directly by you to the publisher after acceptance.
What the quote depends on
- How complete the manuscript and analysis are
- Which stages you choose
- Study design and how much statistical review it needs
- Length, figures, tables and supplementary material
- Whether revision support is included from the start or added later
Every quote includes
- A written scope listing exactly what will be delivered
- A fixed price agreed before any payment
- Payment in stages, tied to delivery
- Revision rounds stated in the scope
Process
How it works
Free consultation
A call or message with a specialist in your subject. We review your material and say plainly whether we are the right fit.
Written scope and quote
You get a written scope, a timeline and a fixed price. Work and payment begin once you agree to it.
Staged delivery
Work arrives in stages you review, each with a similarity report where text is involved. You pay stage by stage.
Revisions and hand-over
Revision rounds are included. At the end you get the final files, and an explanation of anything you’ll need to defend.
Keep reading
Guides and related services
SCI and SCIE journals: how to check the Web of Science list
Step-by-step checks in Clarivate’s Master Journal List, and what SCI, SCIE, SSCI and ESCI mean for your paper.
Scopus vs Web of Science (SCI, SCIE)
What each database covers, which one your university means, and how to check a journal in each.
Impact factor, quartiles and h-index, explained
What each metric measures, where to look it up, and which ones on a journal website are unofficial.
How to spot a predatory journal
A checklist to run before you submit anywhere — and what to do if you’ve already submitted.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Will my paper definitely be accepted by an SCI journal?
Acceptance in an SCIE journal is decided by its editor and independent reviewers. We make the manuscript as strong as the research allows and target journals where it fits, which is what realistically improves your chances.
Is there still a difference between SCI and SCIE?
Not as separate lists you can check today. Clarivate folded the former SCI journals into SCIE, and the Master Journal List shows SCIE. If your university’s rules use the older term, confirm with your department that SCIE journals meet the requirement; they almost always do.
A journal says it is “SCI indexed” with an impact factor of 4.8, but I can’t find it on the Master Journal List. What does that mean?
It usually means the journal is not currently in SCIE, and the impact factor comes from an unrelated organisation. Occasionally a website copies the name of a genuine journal. In either case, wait to submit until the ISSN on the website matches an SCIE entry on the Master Journal List. We will check it for you free.
I need a Q1 journal. Can you arrange that?
We can identify Q1 journals in your category from JCR and assess realistically whether your paper is competitive for them. Acceptance is decided by the journal. If the research is better suited to a Q2 or Q3 journal, we will say so, because a realistic target usually gets you published sooner.
How long does SCIE publication take?
Plan on several months from submission to acceptance, often six or more at selective journals, plus our preparation time beforehand. Our publication timeline guide breaks it down stage by stage.
Can you add your expert as a co-author to strengthen the paper?
Authorship reflects a genuine contribution to the research, so our team stays off the author list. The support we provide is advisory, and you must be able to defend every part of the paper. See our ethics policy.
Is my data safe with you?
Your manuscript and data are shared only with the reviewer working on them, used only for your project, and deleted on request after the engagement. We will sign a non-disclosure agreement if you want one.
What if the paper is rejected after review?
That is common at SCIE journals and a normal part of the process. Detailed reviews are valuable: we help you address them and move to the next journal on the shortlist. The cost of that follow-on work is agreed in advance.
Talk it through with a specialist for free
Send us where you are and what you need. We’ll reply within one working day with clear advice, a written scope and a fixed quote. No obligation.
Book a free consultation