Emerging Sources Citation Index
Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) · Also known as: ESCI, Web of Science Emerging Sources Citation Index
The Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) is a supplement to Web of Science Core Collection launched by Clarivate Analytics in 2015 to expand journal coverage beyond the traditional Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), and Arts & Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI). ESCI includes high-quality, peer-reviewed journals that are newer, from underrepresented geographic regions, or from emerging disciplines not yet established in traditional indexes. Unlike SCI-E/SSCI journals, ESCI journals do not initially receive Impact Factor calculations. However, ESCI serves as a pathway: journals demonstrating sustained citation impact and adherence to quality standards may be promoted to SCI-E/SSCI and gain Impact Factor recognition. ESCI addresses systematic geographic and disciplinary biases in traditional indexing by including quality journals from developing economies, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
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When to use it
Use ESCI when: (1) conducting comprehensive, unbiased literature reviews seeking to minimize geographic bias by including journals from underrepresented regions; (2) researching in emerging disciplines not yet established in traditional Web of Science indexes; (3) studying research from Latin America, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, or Middle East seeking to include region-specific journals; (4) identifying emerging journals in your field with growing citation impact and potential for SCI-E promotion; (5) evaluating research from newer academic institutions or countries building research infrastructure; (6) supporting equity in research dissemination by actively seeking and citing research from traditionally underrepresented regions.
Strengths & limitations
- Geographic equity: includes quality journals from Latin America, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Middle East, reducing Western geographic bias in traditional indexing.
- Disciplinary expansion: captures emerging disciplines and new research areas not yet established in SCI-E/SSCI, expanding knowledge domain coverage.
- Systematic quality vetting: journals meet peer-review and editorial standards, distinguishing legitimate research from predatory journals.
- Progression pathway: ESCI serves as stepping-stone to SCI-E/SSCI for high-quality journals from underrepresented regions, incentivizing global research quality.
- Citation tracking enabled: ESCI articles are tracked for citations within WoS, enabling impact analysis and research influence assessment.
- Integration with WoS: seamless access within Web of Science platform alongside SCI-E/SSCI searches.
- Growing coverage: ESCI expands annually with new journals, gradually improving global research visibility.
- Research equity support: enables researchers to cite and build on research from non-Western sources, supporting knowledge democratization.
- No Impact Factor initially: ESCI journals do not receive Impact Factor calculations, making journal-level prestige comparison to SCI-E/SSCI journals difficult initially.
- Smaller citation history: newly-indexed ESCI journals have limited citation accumulation, making article-level impact assessment challenging early on.
- Uncertain promotion timeline: ESCI journals have no guaranteed pathway to SCI-E/SSCI; some may remain in ESCI indefinitely. Researchers cannot rely on future promotion.
- Lower visibility currently: even high-quality ESCI journals have lower visibility than SCI-E journals in traditional research evaluation systems, potentially disadvantaging researchers publishing in ESCI.
- Institutional adoption lag: many institutions still prioritize SCI-E/SSCI for research evaluation; ESCI inclusion may not carry equivalent prestige in hiring/promotion decisions (institutional inertia).
- Subject area imbalance: ESCI coverage varies by discipline; some emerging regions have strong ESCI representation in certain fields but weak representation in others.
- Citation lag: newly-published ESCI articles have minimal citation counts initially, making early impact assessment difficult.
- Integration challenges: some research databases (Scopus, Google Scholar) do not distinguish ESCI vs. SCI-E, creating confusion about indexing tier.
Frequently asked
Is ESCI lower quality than SCI-E?
No. ESCI journals meet peer-review and editorial standards equivalent to SCI-E journals. They are categorized as ESCI due to being newer, from underrepresented regions, or serving emerging disciplines—not due to lower quality. ESCI designation reflects indexing strategy (geographic/disciplinary expansion), not quality ranking. Some ESCI journals publish highly-cited, innovative research. Avoid conflating ESCI with low quality; many researchers actively target ESCI journals for dissemination to underserved audiences.
Will my ESCI journal eventually get Impact Factor?
Potentially. High-quality ESCI journals accumulating sustained citations and maintaining editorial standards may be promoted to SCI-E/SSCI, at which point they become eligible for Impact Factor calculation. However, promotion is not guaranteed. Some journals may remain in ESCI indefinitely (e.g., serving very specialized or regional audiences where citation culture is lower). Clarivate assesses journals annually for promotion; expect 2–5 years minimum for consideration. Monitor your journal's citation impact (article-level metrics in WoS) to assess promotion likelihood.
Should I avoid publishing in ESCI journals?
No, unless promotion/prestige is your only concern. ESCI journals are legitimate, peer-reviewed outlets. Publish in ESCI if: journal scope matches your research, quality is high (check editorial board, peer-review policy), and geographic/regional focus aligns with your work. However, if career-critical decisions (tenure, grant competitiveness) require high-prestige journals, balance ESCI publications with SCI-E/SSCI publications to build prestige while supporting emerging journals. Many researchers maintain mixed publication portfolio across tiers.
How do I find ESCI journals in my field?
Access Web of Science journal directory and filter by ESCI index. Browse by subject category to find ESCI journals in your discipline. Alternatively, search Web of Science with search limited to ESCI subset, then examine journal distribution. Many ESCI journals are listed with their subject area and region of origin, enabling targeted search. Check journal website for scope, editorial board, and indexing status.
Should I include ESCI in my systematic review search?
Yes. PRISMA guidelines recommend comprehensive database searching. If conducting a systematic review in WoS, search should include ESCI to avoid geographic bias. Document your ESCI search strategy explicitly in your PRISMA protocol. Excluding ESCI systematically risks missing relevant research from underrepresented regions, introducing geographic bias into your synthesis. Inclusive searching strengthens systematic review quality.
Why don't ESCI journals have Impact Factor?
Impact Factor is calculated only for journals with sufficient citation history (typically 2+ years of accumulated citations). Newer ESCI journals may not yet have 2+ years of published articles or citations, making IF calculation impossible. Additionally, Clarivate calculates IF only for SCI-E/SSCI journals; ESCI deliberately excludes IF to indicate different indexing category. Once an ESCI journal is promoted to SCI-E/SSCI, it becomes IF-eligible and IF calculation begins.
Sources
How to cite this page
ScholarGate. (2026, June 3). Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI). ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/en/bibliometrics/esci-emerging-sources
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