In mid-June, the Scopus international database updated its annual metrics for one of the most authoritative journal-evaluation indicators: the Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP).

Note: the SNIP citation index is discipline-neutral and enables assessment of the quality of a journal’s published content. Currently, six journals from Altai State University are included in the Scopus database. According to the updated ranking, several of them have shown marked improvement in their quartile placement.

For example, the journal Peoples and Religions of Eurasia (Editor-in-Chief: Professor P.K. Dashkovsky), which joined Scopus at the end of 2023, received the top first quartile in the SNIP 2025 update (SNIP 1.281). This is a notable achievement for a relatively young journal by scientific standards. It therefore moved from Q4 in 2025 to Q1 within a year.

Other Altai State University journals demonstrate consistently high performance and are ranked in the second and third quartiles. Acta Biologica Sibirica (Editors-in-Chief: Professors A.V. Matsyura and R.V. Yakovlev) ranks in the second quartile. The third quartile comprises Turczaninowia (Editor-in-Chief: Professor A.I. Shmakov), Chemistry of Plant Materials (Editor-in-Chief: Professor N.G. Bazarnova), Siberian Philological Journal (Altai State University – co-founder; Editor-in-Chief: I.V. Silantyev), and Theory and Practice of Archaeological Research (Editor-in-Chief: Professor A.A. Tishkin).

Theory and Practice of Archaeological Research was included in Scopus at the end of 2025 and, after just six months in the database—thanks to citation tracking of its multi‑year publication archive—achieved a Q1 ranking in SJR and Q3 in SNIP.

“Thanks to systematic development, a number of the university’s journals have achieved high rankings and are authoritative in their fields. The editorial staff (without exaggeration!) works daily to ensure that publication quality meets contemporary criteria. This is a tremendous undertaking, accomplished solely through the dedication of the editorial boards and editors‑in‑chief. That dedication is precisely how we maintain the high standard of our publications,” comments Tatyana Parshkova, Director of the Office for Publishing Development and Academic Reputation Enhancement.

She also notes that journal requirements increase annually and new projects are emerging. For example, a domestic scientometric system for scientific journals, Metaphora, is currently being developed on the RCNI platform. Working with each database of scientific publications has its own specifics and demands time and effort. Nevertheless, the editorial boards find the strength and opportunity not only to sustain high results but also to raise them further. Currently, 13 of the university’s publications are included in the “White List,” and six are indexed in Scopus and/or Web of Science.

To support the editorial boards of scientific periodicals in developing, promoting, and maintaining world‑class academic standards, the university runs a Journal Development Program competition. As practice shows, leading journals already make effective use of the program, set new development targets each year, and achieve notable results. This, in turn, strengthens the authority of our journals within the scholarly community.

“In‑house scientific journals are a crucial element of a university’s academic prestige. Well‑indexed university publications attract respected authors, increase citation rates, and play a key role in national and international rankings,” says Alexey Vaganov, Vice‑Rector for Scientific and Innovative Development at Altai State University.

The SNIP indicator is calculated from Scopus data. For newly indexed journals, a SNIP value is assigned at the next annual calculation (usually in June), covering the year of inclusion and all prior available years. SNIP values have been calculated since 1999. You can view a journal’s SNIP values, alongside SJR and CiteScore, in the journal profile using the public features of Scopus Preview.