Inflated citations and metrics of journals discontinued from Scopus for publication concerns: the GhoS(t)copus Project

Background: Scopus is considered a leading bibliometric database. It contains the largest number of abstracts and articles cited in peer reviewed publications. The journals included in Scopus are periodically re-evaluated to ensure they meet indexing criteria. Afterwards, some journals might be discontinued for publication concerns. Despite their discontinuation, previously published articles remain indexed and continue to be cited. The metrics and characteristics of journals discontinued for publication concerns have yet to be studied. This study aimed (1) to evaluate the main features and citation metrics of journals discontinued from Scopus for publication concerns, before and after discontinuation, and (2) to determine the extent of predatory journals among the discontinued journals. Materials and Methods: Eight authors surveyed a list of discontinued journals from Scopus (version July 2019). Data regarding metrics, citations and indexing were extracted from Scopus or other scientific databases, for the journals discontinued for publication concerns. Results: A total of 317 journals were evaluated. The mean number of citations per year after discontinuation was significantly higher than before (median of difference 64 citations, p