How to Add a Journal to the International Databases, Science Citation Index Expanded and MEDLINE

What are the most important international platforms for medical journal literature in the world? They are PubMed, PubMed Central (PMC), MEDLINE, SCOPUS, and Web of Science. Being indexed in all those databases requires meeting vigorous review or selection criteria. PubMed comprises the more than 26 million citations for biomedical literature at the United States National Library of Medicine up to the present. To be indexed in PubMed, a journal should be selected as a MEDLINE journal or be deposited to PMC, which requires full text JATS XML production. To be included in the Web of Science Core Collection, a journal should be selected for the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) or Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI). SCOPUS and Web of Science are best-known reference indexing international databases; therefore, the journal’s standing internationally and competitiveness can be determined from its position in these collections. Out of the above five databases, Archives of Plastic Surgery (APS) has already been indexed in PubMed, PubMed Central, and SCOPUS. Furthermore, Thomson Reuters has notified APS that the journal was selected for ESCI in February 2016, although it is not still searchable from the Web of Science Core Collection. Therefore, I would like to explain the significance of being selected for ESCI and suggest some strategies for the journal to be indexed in SCIE and MEDLINE. APPLICATION TO SCIENCE CITATION INDEX EXPANDED