Journal Finder · Indexes
Where the good journals live.
Seven major indexes, three purposes — pick the right benchmark for your subject and target reach.
B-school benchmarks
4
FT50 · UTD · ABS · ABDC
Citation databases
2
Scopus · Web of Science
Open access
1
DOAJ
Total indexes
7
Curated & linked
Group 1
Business-school benchmark lists.
Curated, opinionated, tiered. These are the lists business schools cite for tenure, hiring, and ranking decisions.
Financial Times
Financial Times 50
- Gold standard for top-tier business schools globally.
- Used to calculate the research rank in FT global MBA rankings.
- Publication is a benchmark for tenure & promotion at elite schools.
Naveen Jindal · UT Dallas
UT Dallas List
- Powers the UT Dallas Top 100 business-school research rankings.
- Focuses on a small set of elite journals across the major business disciplines.
- Highly influential in North American business school evaluations.
Chartered ABS · UK
ABS / AJG (CABS) List
- Also called the Academic Journal Guide (AJG).
- Tiered 4* → 1, with 4* being world-elite status.
- Widely used in the UK, Europe and many Commonwealth schools.
Australian Business Deans Council
ABDC Journal Quality List
- Tiered quality ranking from A* (highest) down to C.
- Most-cited list across Australia, India, and many Asia-Pacific schools.
- Particularly trusted for management, marketing & finance journals.
Group 2
Comprehensive citation databases.
Cross-disciplinary databases covering tens of thousands of peer-reviewed journals — with their own quality signals and quartile rankings.
Elsevier
Scopus
- World's largest abstract & citation database of peer-reviewed literature.
- Ranks journals into quartiles (Q1–Q4); Q1 = top 25% in the field.
- Source for SJR (SCImago Journal Rank) and CiteScore metrics.
Clarivate
Web of Science
- Definitive source for the prestigious Journal Impact Factor (JIF).
- Inclusion in the Core Collection signifies global influence and quality.
- Curated coverage; deliberately stricter than Scopus on inclusion.
Group 3
Open-access verified.
Vetted lists of open-access journals committed to ethical publishing — the cleanest way to spot legitimate open-access targets.
Directory of Open Access Journals
DOAJ
- Leading index for high-quality, peer-reviewed open-access journals.
- Inclusion signifies a commitment to ethical publishing & free access to research.
- Strong first-pass filter when you specifically want an OA target.
Which one for what?
Pick by your goal.
Targeting tenure / promotion
Use a tiered list
Start with FT50 or UTD for elite-tier benchmarks; ABS/AJG or ABDC for region-specific tier ranking.
Need quartile / impact data
Use a citation database
Search Scopus for Q1–Q4 + SJR; Web of Science for the official Journal Impact Factor.
Want open access
Start with DOAJ
Filter for DOAJ-listed journals as a quality threshold for OA. Then verify via Scopus / WoS for additional metrics.
Comparing across regions
Cross-check 2–3 lists
A journal that appears in FT50 + ABS/AJG + ABDC is widely respected globally. Single-list inclusion is a softer signal.
FAQ
Frequently asked.
Which list is the most prestigious?
It depends on the region and discipline. FT50 is the global gold standard for top business schools. UTD is dominant in North America. ABS/AJG rules the UK and Europe. ABDC is widely used in Australia, India, and Asia-Pacific. A journal that appears in multiple lists is the strongest signal.
What's the difference between Scopus & Web of Science?
Both are large citation databases, but Scopus (Elsevier) has wider coverage and uses Q1–Q4 quartiles + SJR / CiteScore metrics. Web of Science (Clarivate) is more selective and is the source of the original Journal Impact Factor (JIF). Many institutions accept either; some specifically require WoS-indexed journals for tenure.
Is a DOAJ-listed journal automatically high quality?
DOAJ inclusion signals ethical OA practices — transparent peer review, no hidden fees, indexed metadata. It's a useful first filter, but for impact / quartile / tenure use cases, you should still cross-check with Scopus or Web of Science.
My target journal isn't in any of these — what now?
Be cautious. A journal absent from all major indexes is a yellow flag. Run it through the predatory-journal checker — verify peer review, editorial board, transparent fees, and publication frequency before submitting.
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Spot a predatory journal in 60 seconds
A practical checklist + the live Beall's-style criteria you can apply before you submit.