Lists of Journals and Ratings of Russian Publications: Inconsistencies and Possible Ways to Eliminate Them

Abstract

When Web of Science and Scopus ceased all commercial activity in Russia, the issue of maximum separation from global scientometric systems became acute and appeared on the agenda. Under the present-day conditions of sanctions, the role of Russian academic journals in information support of science has increased significantly. The purpose of this study was to compare the contents of various lists of journals used to evaluate research activity in Russia and to develop a most balanced approach to ranking scholarly publications. The object of the study was Russian periodicals indexed in information systems, including the White List, as well as the main and additional Lists of the Higher Attestation Commission (HAC). A collection of Russian periodicals was compiled using databases such as the Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus and the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI). Using the overlay method, we compared information on publications from these databases with details taken from the White List and the Lists of the HAC (the main and additional ones). Information on the overlapping of Russian journals in these lists was collected. This made it possible to compare the positions of the same journals in the rankings in accordance with their levels in the White List and categories of the HAC. The levels and categories of journals were supplemented with information about the percentiles of the Science Index rating (RSCI). The lists of journals were analyzed from the informative and qualitative points of view. As a result of this study, it has been found that none of the lists meets the following basic requirements: 1) the completeness of coverage of the most significant journals in a wide range of academic fields without prejudice to any of them; 2) a careful examination of the methodology of ranking by categories or levels. A pretty accurate understanding of quality levels of academic journals can be achieved by using a new indicator of scholarly periodicals – percentiles of journals in the Science Index rating (RSCI).