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Review
 History of the Scopus Expert Content Selection and Advisory Committee of Korea
Hyungsun Kimorcid
Science Editing 2020;7(1):6-10.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.6087/kcse.183
Published online: February 20, 2020

Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Inha University, Incheon, Korea

Correspondence to Hyungsun Kim kimhs@inha.ac.kr
• Received: October 23, 2019   • Accepted: October 30, 2019

Copyright © 2020 Korean Council of Science Editors

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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  • With the objective of improving the quality of Korean journals and elevating them to international standards, the National Research Foundation of Korea, in consultation with Elsevier, formed the Scopus Expert Content Selection and Advisory Committee-Korea (ECSAC-Korea) as a local selection committee in August 2012. The committee reviews Korean journals for Scopus indexing and recommends them to the Scopus Content Selection and Advisory Board. In September 2019, ECSAC-Korea became part of the Korean Council of Science Editors (KCSE). This article describes the current status of Scopus indexing in Korea and the history, organizational structure, and role of ECSAC-Korea as part of the KCSE. The article also introduces the members of ECSAC-Korea and the KCSE steering committee for Scopus ECSAC-Korea, who have been active since September 2019.
  • Keywords: Scopus; History; Expert Content Selection and Advisory Committee-Korea; Korean journals; Korean Council of Science Editors
The Scopus Expert Content Selection and Advisory Committee-Korea (ECSAC-Korea) became part of the Korean Council of Science Editors (KCSE) in September 2019. To formalize this partnership, the KCSE and Elsevier signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the Korea Science and Technology Center on September 6, 2019. In accordance with this MoU, ECSAC-Korea’s Scopus content selection management project, which had been managed by the Korea National Research Foundation (KNRF) since 2011, is now managed by the KCSE as of September 2019 [1,2].
The KCSE manages the ECSAC-Korea, which in turn works with the Scopus Content Selection and Advisory Board (CSAB) and is responsible for providing advice on the evaluation and selection of Korean journals for indexing in Scopus. This new arrangement is expected to improve the quality of Korean journals, to provide high-quality related information, and to contribute to academic development in Korea. As of April 2019, 24,250 journals were registered in Scopus, of which 286 were Korean journals.
To celebrate and promote academic development in Korea, on October 2, 2019 in the International Conference Room of the National Library of Korea in Seoul, the KCSE conducted a commemorative symposium on the theme “How to help scholarly journal editors who want their journals to be listed in Scopus.” In this paper, I would like to describe the history of Scopus ECSAC-Korea and the progress of KCSE operations, as presented at the symposium. More specifically, this paper is divided into the following four sections: the Scopus selection process in Korea; the history of Scopus ECSAC-Korea; the progress of KCSE’s Scopus Evaluation and Management Agency; and the organization of the administration of ECSAC-Korea by the KCSE.
In general, the evaluation process of journals, proceedings, and books for Scopus indexing is conducted by the Scopus team in the first stage (preliminary review) and by the CSAB in the second stage. However, four countries—Korea, Thailand, Russia, and China—have formed local expert content selection and advisory committees (respectively ECSAC-Korea, ECSAC-Thailand, ECSAC-Russia, and ECSAC-China) to manage the first and second stages of the evaluation process. The final decision on indexing is made by the CSAB.
The KNRF first recognized Scopus, which is operated by Elsevier and was created in 2004, as an international database in 2010. To elevate the quality of Korean journals to international standards, the KNRF agreed to manage ECSAC-Korea in November 2011 with Elsevier. The KNRF and Elsevier signed an MoU on November 24, 2011 (Fig. 1).
After signing an MoU with Elsevier on November 24, 2011, the KNRF formed Scopus ECSAC-Korea. The committee members were selected based on subject disciplines, taking into consideration the number of the journals listed in the Korean Citation Index and the proportion of subjects’ representation in Scopus. ECSAC-Korea includes one chair and 15 advisory members accountable for 30 main subject disciplines.
Scopus ECSAC-Korea, which was established on August 28, 2012, consisted of 16 prominent scholars from Korea, who served terms of 3 years. The chair was Professor Zheong Gou Kim of the Seoul National University (physics) and the members included Duk-Gyoo Kim, Kyungpook National University (electric engineering); Han Goo Lee, Sungkyunkwan University (history, philosophy); Young-Ok Lee, Sungkyunkwan University (English literature); Hyun Ku Kim, Sungkyunkwan University (public administration); Sang-In Jun, Seoul National University (sociology); Dong-Youp Suh, Korean Institute of Science (mathematics); Chul Koo Kim, Yonsei University (physics); Jeong Kug Lee, Sogang University (microbiology); Kwang Bo Shim, Hanyang University (ceramics); Dong Pyo Hong, Jeonbuk National University (dynamics and control); Ickho Song, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (mobile communication); Yong-Sung Juhnn, Seoul National University (medicine); Young-Joon Surh, Seoul National University (pharmacology); Myung-Sook Choi, Kyungpook National University (food and nutrition); and Kyung Ja Oh, Yonsei University (psychology) [1].
In its second term (2015–2017), the committee of 15 reviewers was chaired by Professor Duk-Gyoo Kim, Kyungpook National University (electric engineering), whereas in its third term (2018–2020) the committee was chaired by Professor Hyungsun Kim, Inha University (materials engineering). The term of the office for reviewers is 3 years, but they can be reappointed. The volunteer work of several members of Scopus ECSAC-Korea has contributed greatly to the internationalization of Korean journals. Through the numerous workshops held by the KNRF, the committee has helped domestic editors to elevate the quality of Korean journals to international standards.
Recently, the KNRF decided that ECSAC-Korea’s Scopus content evaluation management project should be carried out in the private sector. As a result, on November 2018, it was decided to transfer the project to another organization when the MoU expired. On September 1, 2019, Elsevier selected the KCSE as the most suitable institution for managing this project and formed Scopus ECSAC-Korea [2]. Founded in 2011, the KCSE is an organization of science journal editors of Korea that aims to raise the quality of science journals published in Korea through information exchange and discussions on editing [3]. ECSAC-Korea, which was managed by the KNRF from 2011 to 2018, has been managed by the KCSE since September 2019.
After the expiration of the MoU between the KNRF and Elsevier on November 20, 2018, the Korean branch of Elsevier recommended that the KCSE serve as the operator of ECSAC-Korea at the first working group meeting. After the second working group meeting of the KCSE with Elsevier Korea on February 22, 2019, the Scopus team (W. Meester and T. Chen) from Elsevier visited the KCSE on April 11, 2019 and discussed many issues, including the Korean agency’s operational capacity, financial situation, and management policies related to humanities and social science journals. On May 23, the Scopus CSAB Chair Meeting (held in Berlin) approved the KCSE as the Scopus evaluation agency in Korea. On July 2, T. Chen, the Scopus manager, visited the KCSE to finalize various operational regulations and the content of the MoU. Finally, the MoU was signed with Hyungsun Kim, president of the KCSE and Yongsoo Jeun, regional director of Korea and Taiwan, Elsevier BV, on behalf of the vice-president of Scopus, at the KCSE in Seoul on September 6, 2019. The MoU will remain effective for 3 years (Fig. 2) [2].
KCSE formed Scopus ECSAC-Korea in consultation with the Elsevier Scopus team and established the Scopus Steering Committee as a special committee under its authority.
Scopus ECSAC-Korea
On September 1, 2019, the KCSE and Elsevier formed Scopus ECSAC-Korea and launched its operations. This committee evaluates domestic journals that apply to be listed in Scopus and provides evaluation information to the Scopus CSAB (Table 1) [4]. The KCSE plans to organize at least two seminars annually for journal editors to educate them and share information with them about the Scopus content selection process and activities to help achieve overall improvements in journal quality in Korea. The advantage of engaging this committee to review Korean journals is that by referring to the Korean Citation Index, the value of Korean journals with articles in the Korean language can also be appreciated.
Steering Committee of Scopus ECSAC-Korea
The steering committee of Scopus ECSAC-Korea is a special committee of the KCSE. The objective of this committee is to support the financial and training processes necessary for Scopus ECSAC-Korea to operate smoothly as it seeks to raise the quality of Korean journals. The main tasks of the committee are to support the operations of Scopus ECSAC-Korea through budgeting, training, and managing reports. It does not deal with the journal review process directly. The operation of this committee is subject to the bylaws of the steering committee of Scopus ECSAC-Korea, as part of the KCSE. The committee is composed of one chair, one vice-chair, and three to five members (Table 2) [5].
The committee receives an annual report from Scopus ECSAC-Korea, which includes (1) a list of ECSAC-Korea members; (2) minutes of the ECSAC-Korea committee; (3) budget implementation documents; (4) contents of the training process; (5) journal review, which includes the number of reviewed journals, the journals’ names, the results of review (pass or fail), the final CSAB review results, and the time taken by the journal; and (6) the Chair’s CSAB-chair meeting attendance report and other issues.
Starting in 2011, ECSAC-Korea under the KNRF helped Korean editors to become proficient with international standards of editing and publishing through various workshops. ECSAC-Korea has made major contributions to the internationalization of Korean journals through the volunteer work of chairs and subject advisory members. Since September 2019, the KCSE has undertaken the role of managing Scopus ECSAC-Korea. The agreement between Elsevier and the KCSE will enable ECSAC-Korea to engage in the active development of world-class Korean journals by delivering and sharing the relevant know-how and by holding educational programs for editors and publishers in various academic fields.

Conflict of Interest

Hyungsun Kim has been a Chair of the Scopus Expert Content Selection and Advisory Committee-Korea since 2018; otherwise, no potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Fig. 1.
The Korea National Research Foundation and Elsevier signed a memorandum of understanding on November 24, 2011 (Courtesy of Korea National Research Foundation).
kcse-183f1.jpg
Fig. 2.
Korean Council of Science Editors (KCSE)-Elsevier business agreement on September 6, 2019 (From the left, Sun Huh, vice president of the KCSE, Hyungsun Kim, president of the KCSE, Young-seok Jeon, head of Elsevier’s Korean branch, and Hyun-joo Jang, Elsevier’s Korean branch).
kcse-183f2.jpg
Table 1.
Scopus ECSAC-Korea members
Membera)
Professor, Hyungsun Kim, Inha University, Chair of ECSAC-Korea
Professor, Leighanne Kimberly Yuh, Korea University, Subject Chair—Humanities
Professor, Ailee Cho, KAIST, Subject Chair—Language, Linguistics, Communication and Media
Professor, Young-seok Kim, Myungji University, Subject Chair—Library and Information Sciences Multidisciplinary
Professor, Youngsun Kwon, KAIST, Subject Chair—Business, Management & Accounting, Decision Sciences, Economics, Econometrics & Finance
Professor, Sung-Jun Myung, Gyeongsang National University, Subject Chair—Social Sciences (Public Administration), Law, Crime, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Professor, Innwoo Park, Korea University, Subject Chair—Education
Professor, Chul-Kyoo Kim, Korea University, Subject Chair—Social Sciences (Sociology), Psychology (Psychological Science)
Professor, Bae Ho Park, Konkuk University, Subject Chair—Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Earth & Planetary Science, Energy, Environmental Science, Materials Science, Mathematics, Physics & Astronomy
P rofessor, Wonhee Jang, Dongguk University, Subject Chair—Agricultural & Biological Sciences, Biochemistry, Genetics & Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, Veterinary
Professor, Hyun Wook Park, KAIST, Subject Chair—Computer Science, Engineering (Electrical/Electronics)
Professor, Sang Woo Joo , Yeungnam University, Subject Chair—Engineering (Mechanical)
Professor, Chadon Lee, Chungang University, Subject Chair—Engineering (Architectural/Civil)
Professor, Dong Soo Han, Hanyang University, Subject Chair-Medicine
Professor, Sun Huh, Hallym University, Subject Chair-Health Professions, Dentistry, Immunology & Microbiology, Pharmacology, Toxicology & Pharmaceutics, Psychology (Psychiatry)
Professor, Eun-Hyun Lee, Ajou University, Subject Chair—Nursing

Members list from ECSAC-Korea. Local Board for Korea [Internet]. Seoul: ECSAC-Korea; 2019 [4].

ECSAC-Korea, Expert Content Selection and Advisory Committee-Korea.

a) Term of office: March 27, 2018 to December 31, 2020.

Table 2.
Members of the Steering Committee for Scopus ECSAC-Korea
Role Member
Chair Hyungsun Kim, Chair of the KCSE, Inha University
Vice-Chair Bae Ho Park, Vice-Chair of the Foreign Cooperation (KCSE), Konkuk University
Member Sue Kim, Chair of the Planning and Operations Committee (KCSE), Yonsei University
Soo Young Kim, Chair of the Education and Training Committee (KCSE), Hallym University
Hye-Min Cho, Chair of the Manuscript Editors Committee (KCSE). InfoLumi Co.
Hyunju Jang, Elsevier-Korea

Members list from ECSAC-Korea. Steering Committee for Scopus ECSAC-Korea [Internet]. Seoul: ECSAC-Korea; 2019 [5].

ECSAC, Expert Content Selection and Advisory Committee; KCSE, Korean Council of Science Editors.

Figure & Data

References

    Citations

    Citations to this article as recorded by  
    • Role of academic publishers in 10 years: a perspective from the Chairman of Elsevier
      Youngsuk Chi
      Science Editing.2022; 9(1): 46.     CrossRef
    • Presidential address: How to cope with the present environment of scholarly journal publishing
      Sun Huh
      Science Editing.2020; 7(1): 1.     CrossRef

    Figure
    • 0
    • 1
    History of the Scopus Expert Content Selection and Advisory Committee of Korea
    Image Image
    Fig. 1. The Korea National Research Foundation and Elsevier signed a memorandum of understanding on November 24, 2011 (Courtesy of Korea National Research Foundation).
    Fig. 2. Korean Council of Science Editors (KCSE)-Elsevier business agreement on September 6, 2019 (From the left, Sun Huh, vice president of the KCSE, Hyungsun Kim, president of the KCSE, Young-seok Jeon, head of Elsevier’s Korean branch, and Hyun-joo Jang, Elsevier’s Korean branch).

    Fig. 1.

    Fig. 2.

    History of the Scopus Expert Content Selection and Advisory Committee of Korea
    Membera)
    Professor, Hyungsun Kim, Inha University, Chair of ECSAC-Korea
    Professor, Leighanne Kimberly Yuh, Korea University, Subject Chair—Humanities
    Professor, Ailee Cho, KAIST, Subject Chair—Language, Linguistics, Communication and Media
    Professor, Young-seok Kim, Myungji University, Subject Chair—Library and Information Sciences Multidisciplinary
    Professor, Youngsun Kwon, KAIST, Subject Chair—Business, Management & Accounting, Decision Sciences, Economics, Econometrics & Finance
    Professor, Sung-Jun Myung, Gyeongsang National University, Subject Chair—Social Sciences (Public Administration), Law, Crime, Criminology and Criminal Justice
    Professor, Innwoo Park, Korea University, Subject Chair—Education
    Professor, Chul-Kyoo Kim, Korea University, Subject Chair—Social Sciences (Sociology), Psychology (Psychological Science)
    Professor, Bae Ho Park, Konkuk University, Subject Chair—Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Earth & Planetary Science, Energy, Environmental Science, Materials Science, Mathematics, Physics & Astronomy
    P rofessor, Wonhee Jang, Dongguk University, Subject Chair—Agricultural & Biological Sciences, Biochemistry, Genetics & Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, Veterinary
    Professor, Hyun Wook Park, KAIST, Subject Chair—Computer Science, Engineering (Electrical/Electronics)
    Professor, Sang Woo Joo , Yeungnam University, Subject Chair—Engineering (Mechanical)
    Professor, Chadon Lee, Chungang University, Subject Chair—Engineering (Architectural/Civil)
    Professor, Dong Soo Han, Hanyang University, Subject Chair-Medicine
    Professor, Sun Huh, Hallym University, Subject Chair-Health Professions, Dentistry, Immunology & Microbiology, Pharmacology, Toxicology & Pharmaceutics, Psychology (Psychiatry)
    Professor, Eun-Hyun Lee, Ajou University, Subject Chair—Nursing
    Role Member
    Chair Hyungsun Kim, Chair of the KCSE, Inha University
    Vice-Chair Bae Ho Park, Vice-Chair of the Foreign Cooperation (KCSE), Konkuk University
    Member Sue Kim, Chair of the Planning and Operations Committee (KCSE), Yonsei University
    Soo Young Kim, Chair of the Education and Training Committee (KCSE), Hallym University
    Hye-Min Cho, Chair of the Manuscript Editors Committee (KCSE). InfoLumi Co.
    Hyunju Jang, Elsevier-Korea
    Table 1. Scopus ECSAC-Korea members

    Members list from ECSAC-Korea. Local Board for Korea [Internet]. Seoul: ECSAC-Korea; 2019 [4].

    ECSAC-Korea, Expert Content Selection and Advisory Committee-Korea.

    Term of office: March 27, 2018 to December 31, 2020.

    Table 2. Members of the Steering Committee for Scopus ECSAC-Korea

    Members list from ECSAC-Korea. Steering Committee for Scopus ECSAC-Korea [Internet]. Seoul: ECSAC-Korea; 2019 [5].

    ECSAC, Expert Content Selection and Advisory Committee; KCSE, Korean Council of Science Editors.

    Table 1.

    Table 2.

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