Scopus & Web of Science Journals: Kenya

Looking for Scopus journals in Kenya or Web of Science journals to support a promotion file or grant report? Not many Kenyan journals are indexed, so most researchers pair a brief local list with international titles. This guide covers both and shows how to confirm indexing within minutes.

Scopus and Web of Science: The Essentials

Scopus is Elsevier's selectively compiled database of abstracts and citations; CiteScore originates there and its data underlies the SCImago Journal Rank (SJR). Web of Science belongs to Clarivate and its Core Collection consists of SCIE (sciences), SSCI (social sciences), AHCI (arts and humanities) and ESCI (emerging sources); Journal Citation Reports is where the Journal Impact Factor is published. Journals in both databases are evaluated again and may be discontinued. See Scopus explained and Web of Science explained for more. For a journal's current status, the database record itself is the best evidence.

Kenyan journals that report Scopus coverage cluster in medicine and in food, agriculture and nutrition. Universities are striving to lift the standards of their journals, but the majority of Kenyan titles are still not indexed. To see the present picture, filter SCImago’s rankings to Kenya; bear in mind that some international journals are edited in Kenya but published elsewhere, so the publisher’s country may differ. A journal’s stated scope is a better guide to fit than its location.

Scopus and Web of Science Journals From Kenya

The titles below are produced in Kenya 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.

Further noteworthy journals (Scopus or Web of Science indexing not confirmed)

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

Indexing Verification Checklist

1. Check the ISSNTake the print and online ISSN directly from the journal's official website
2. Scopus SourcesDo an ISSN search to confirm the status and coverage years
3. Master Journal ListDo an ISSN search and record SCIE, SSCI, AHCI or ESCI
4. Removed?Find out whether the title appears on Scopus's discontinued list
5. Keep a recordScreen captures with dates for your promotion or grant file

International Publishing for Researchers in Kenya

Since just a small portion of journals based in Kenya are in Scopus or Web of Science, most researchers who need indexed outlets also send work to international titles, such as African regional journals, society journals and the big global publishers. A 2025 study of Scopus coverage in Africa (Kanyika & Kim) calls this a “continued struggle”: African journals in Scopus are increasing in number, but only gradually.

Three points deserve attention before you settle on an international journal. First, the article processing charge (APC), and whether the publisher gives waivers or reductions to authors from low- and middle-income countries. Second, whether your institution or funder will pay APCs. Third, whether your field has a diamond open access journal, which is free for both readers and authors; DOAJ lets you filter by “without fees”. Talk to your university’s research office or your grant manager about whether APCs may be charged to a research grant, and settle this prior to submitting.

Quartiles, Impact Factor and Top-Tier Journals

Note where each metric comes from. The Journal Impact Factor for Web of Science titles is published in Journal Citation Reports, whereas CiteScore and SJR are based on Scopus. Q1 means the top quarter of a journal's subject category in a single year, so compare figures only when category and year are the same.

Kenyan researchers will often find that the highest-impact journals in their field are international, not local. Find them through subject categories in Journal Citation Reports, Scopus Sources or SCImago, and then read recent articles to test whether the journal is right for you. Our guide to finding high impact factor journals takes you through the method in sequence.

Picking an Indexed Journal for Your Subject

Getting Your Paper Ready for an Indexed Journal

Desk rejection is what happens most often to submissions at a selective journal, yet it can frequently be avoided. Before you send your paper:

• Assess the fit through the aims and scope statement plus three recent articles; where your manuscript would look out of place, try another journal.
• Explain why local research matters globally. State what readers in other places can learn from your data or setting.
• Refine language and layout. Authors whose first language is not English benefit from a colleague's read-through or professional editing.
• Reply to every reviewer. If revisions are requested, handle each comment in a table of responses.

Frequent Mistakes With Indexed Journals

• Treating a homepage logo as proof, rather than checking the database record.
• Not specifying the index: “Web of Science” could be SCIE, SSCI, AHCI or ESCI.
• Not noticing a discontinuation: indexing from last year may have ended.
• Depending on a number alone: a paper outside the journal's scope will be rejected quickly.

Practical Tips for Kenyan Researchers Targeting Indexed Journals

Kenyan researchers frequently work on applied topics in health, agriculture and development, often with partners abroad. The following suggestions help you aim at a suitable indexed outlet and present your findings effectively.

• Lead with the local relevance. Explain in the introduction why your county, community or sector matters beyond its borders. Editors look for lessons that readers elsewhere can borrow, not only a regional description.
• Use field data transparently. Describe how participants were chosen, how consent was obtained and what limits fieldwork imposed. Honest reporting of constraints builds reviewer trust far more than a polished but vague method section.
• Study recent papers in the target journal. Read several recent articles on similar topics to see typical length, structure and referencing style. Matching those conventions shows respect for the journal and reduces avoidable formatting corrections.
• Plan collaboration before data collection. If a foreign partner is involved, agree on data ownership, authorship and acknowledgement of funders at the outset. Written understanding avoids awkward negotiations when the manuscript is nearly finished.
• Budget time for language polishing. Ask a colleague outside your project to read the draft for clarity. Fresh eyes catch ambiguous sentences and missing steps that you no longer notice.

Show clearly why your Kenyan evidence matters to an international audience, and choose a journal whose recent articles resemble your own.

Questions Researchers Often Ask

Summary and What to Do Next

To publish in indexed outlets, Kenyan researchers typically mix a few local titles with international journals in their discipline. Check every claim and work out costs before submitting.

1. Find out whether the rule at your institution refers to an index, a quartile, Scopus or Web of Science.
2. Build a shortlist for your field with the help of the tables above and international databases.
3. Check each title by its ISSN and keep a record of what you find.
4. Look at the list of research journals in Kenya 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 — Kenya
• East African Medical Journal on AJOL
• AJFAND
• 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)
• Scopus Sources
• Clarivate Master Journal List
• ISSN Portal
• SCImago Journal & Country Rank
• Journal Citation Reports