Biases in what sources are covered

English-language bias in Scopus and Web of Science

We have seen how Google Scholar prioritizes English-language publications. Something similar goes for two well-known databases, Web of Science and Scopus.

• In 2019, 95,37% of the publications in Web of Science were in English, while almost half of the journals covered by the Directory of Open Access Journals are non-English (Vera-Baceta, Thelwall and Kousha 2019).
• In 2017, Scopus prided itself on covering 2000 journals from the Asia-Pacific region, while in Indonesia and Japan alone 9000 and 3000 journals are listed in their respective national portals (Tennant 2020).

As a result, many high-quality, peer-reviewed journals from the 'Global South' that might be highly relevant for you and your students depending on the research topic, are missing in Web of Science and Scopus. E.g.,

• Jurnal Historica (Indonesia; English, Indonesian) https://jurnal.unej.ac.id/index.php/JHIS/index
• Langues, cultures et sociétés (Morocco; Arabic, French, English) https://revues.imist.ma/index.php/lcs
• Estudios económicos (Argentina; English, Portuguese, Spanish) https://revistas.uns.edu.ar/ee/index
• Nsukka Journal of Religion and Cultural Studies (Nigeria; English) https://www.njrcs.org/

A note on the VU Library's collections

Like many European and North American libraries, the VU Library’s collections reflect a bias toward Western perspectives. This means important but marginalized voices are underrepresented, and some metadata may be outdated or offensive. The catalogue’s ranking system prioritizing VU-owned content reinforces these limitations. We realize that these biases may directly influence students’ first contacts with academia. What message do our collections send students about what counts as “good” research and who belongs in academia?

With one of the most culturally diverse student populations in the Netherlands, the VU Library is actively working to create a more inclusive collection. A dedicated working group is committed to ensuring that all students and staff feel represented, both online and on in our study rooms. You can learn more about their work on our webpage.