Publishing in Scopus from Georgia: Barriers and Routes

Georgian researchers publish less in Scopus-indexed journals per capita than any other country in the WHO European Region. PHIG examines the structural barriers — and what overcoming them would require.

“Scientific invisibility is not an intellectual problem. It is a structural one. Georgian researchers can produce world-class work. The question is whether the system around them supports them to publish it where it can be found and cited.”

Pkhakadze G. Research Output Analysis Georgia. Tbilisi: PHIG; 2025.[1]

Introduction

Scopus, operated by Elsevier, is the world’s largest abstract and citation database, covering more than 25,000 peer-reviewed journals across all scientific disciplines. Scopus indexing is the de facto standard for academic recognition in most Georgian and South Caucasian universities — and the gateway to international grant applications, collaborative networks, and career advancement for Georgian researchers.[2]

Georgia’s Scopus output is low and growing slowly. In 2024, Georgian authors contributed approximately 1,240 Scopus-indexed publications — roughly 0.33 per 1,000 population, compared to Estonia’s 4.2 per 1,000 and the EU-27 average of approximately 3.8 per 1,000.[3]

Structural Barriers to Georgian Research Output

PHIG’s 2024 survey of 186 Georgian health researchers identified seven structural barriers to Scopus publication. The most cited was English-language scientific writing capacity (74% rated this as a major barrier), followed by publication fees for open-access journals in indexed publications (Article Processing Charges averaging USD 1,500–3,000 per article — equivalent to one to two months of an academic salary in Georgia).[1,4]

Figure 1. Barriers to Scopus Publication: Georgian Health Researchers 2024 (% rating as major barrier, n=186)

Source: PHIG Georgian Health Researcher Survey 2024 (n=186; multiple responses permitted).[1]

Figure 2. Georgia Scopus Publications per 1,000 Population vs. Regional Peers 2024

Sources: Scopus database 2024; national population data; PHIG analysis.[2,3]

Conclusion

Georgia’s Scopus output gap is real, measurable, and addressable. The barriers are not primarily talent — Georgian researchers produce quality work in Georgian and Russian language publications that is internationally invisible. The barriers are structural: language, cost, training, and institutional support. PHIG’s response has three components: GMJ as a no-APC publication pathway for Georgian researchers, a structured scientific writing workshop series (two per year, Tbilisi and Kutaisi), and a research mentorship network pairing junior Georgian researchers with senior co-authors at European institutions. A doubling of Georgia’s Scopus output per capita by 2030 is achievable; it requires sustained institutional investment rather than heroic individual effort.

References

1. Pkhakadze G. Research Output Analysis: Georgian Health Sciences 2024. Tbilisi: PHIG; 2025.
2. Elsevier. Scopus Database: Content and Coverage Statistics 2024. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 2024.
3. SCImago Journal and Country Rank. Country Rankings: Georgia 2024. Available from: https://www.scimagojr.com
4. Ellers J, von der Heyden S, Brooks TM, et al. Strategies for article processing charges in an open access environment. PLoS Biol. 2017;15(12):e2005210.
5. DTMU School of Public Health. Research Capacity Assessment 2024. Tbilisi: DTMU; 2024.

Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze, MD, MPH, PhD

Professor of Public Health, David Tvildiani Medical University | Chair, Public Health Institute of Georgia | Founder, Accréditation Sans Frontières

Published on behalf of the PHIG Analysis and Intelligence Team · Tbilisi, Georgia

PHIG

Public Health Institute of Georgia