{"id":29085,"date":"2026-07-22T13:50:32","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T10:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/a-articles.com\/?p=29085"},"modified":"2026-09-19T14:48:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T11:48:49","slug":"kvartyl-scopus-q1-q2-q3-mon-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/a-articles.com\/en\/kvartyl-scopus-q1-q2-q3-mon-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Scopus Quartile Q1, Q2, or Q3: What Should a Researcher Choose Under the New Requirements of the Ministry of Education and Science?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If you\u2019re currently planning your thesis and find yourself thinking, \u201cWhich quartile do I actually need so I don\u2019t have to redo everything twice?\u201d, you\u2019re definitely not alone. In 2026, the answer to this question has changed, and it directly determines how many papers you\u2019ll need to write and how much time it will take.<\/p>

The question of which Scopus quartile to choose is no longer about abstract prestige, but about a direct calculation of the weight of publications and the timeline leading up to the defense. Order No. 56 of the Ministry of Education and Science, dated January 19, 2026<\/a> has introduced a new version of the Procedure for Compiling the List of Scientific and Professional Publications of Ukraine, and together with the current Cabinet of Ministers resolutions, this determines how your articles are credited. So let\u2019s break it down in simple terms: how does Q1 differ from Q2 and Q3, and which of these actually meets the requirements?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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How is the Scopus quartile calculated, and how does it differ from a percentile?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Scopus does not assign quartiles directly. They are determined based on a journal\u2019s CiteScore Percentile within a specific subject category, while the SCImago Journal and Country Rank (SJR) service calculates its own quartile rankings separately based on the SJR index. Both approaches are based on ranking: all journals in a category are sorted by impact, and each is assigned a percentile\u2014that is, a position expressed as a percentage from 0 to 99.<\/p>

The difference between a quartile and a percentile lies in the level of detail. A percentile is an exact position (for example, the 81st percentile), while a quartile is a broad category into which that percentile falls:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Quartile<\/th>\r\n Percentile range<\/th>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n <\/thead>\r\n
Q1<\/td>\r\n 75\u201399 (highest)<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n
Q2<\/td>\r\n 50\u201374<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n
Q3<\/td>\r\n 25\u201349<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n
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Why do the quartiles of the journal differ across categories?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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A journal indexed in multiple subject areas in Scopus receives a separate percentile and a separate quartile in each of them, because the ranking is performed within each category rather than globally across the entire database. Therefore, the same journal may be Q1 in a narrow niche and, at the same time, Q3 in a broader related category. When selecting a journal, check the quartile specifically for the subject category that corresponds to the topic of your dissertation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Why Is the Journal's Status Unstable?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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SCImago updates its data once a year, usually in April or May, when the metrics for the previous calendar year are published. For example, data for 2025 will appear in the SJR around April or May 2026. Over the course of the following year, a journal\u2019s quartile remains unchanged, even if its citation trends have already shifted. As a result, a journal that has declined in quality may remain in a high quartile until the next recalculation, so it is always worth checking its status separately at the time of publication and separately at the time of defense.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Ministry of Education and Science's New Requirements for 2026 and How the Quartile Affects Defense<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Order No. 56 of the Ministry of Education and Science, dated January 19, 2026<\/a> completely revised the Procedure for Compiling the List of Scientific and Professional Publications and strengthened the monitoring of publication ethics. For you, as an author of an article in Scopus, one thing is key here: \u201cCategory A\u201d publications are specifically journals indexed by Scopus or Web of Science, and the loss of indexing automatically excludes such a journal from the List. Simply put, a journal\u2019s status may well change even after you\u2019ve submitted an article to it, so it\u2019s worth factoring this into your strategy in advance.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The weight of the quartile in defense<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Order No. 56<\/a> does not change the basic formula for calculating the quartile. Under current regulations, an article published in a Q1 or Q2 journal according to the SCImago or Journal Citation Reports classification is equivalent to two scientific publications for a PhD; under the updated 2024 regulation, a Q3 article is also equivalent to two publications. Previously, the scale was \u201cQ1\u2013Q2 = 3 publications, Q3 = 2 publications,\u201d so sources differ in the details. The specific conversion factor should be verified in the current version of the Procedure for Awarding the Doctor of Philosophy Degree as of the date of document submission, since the conversion factors have been revised multiple times.<\/p>

For a Doctor of Science, the requirement is different: at least 20 publications on the dissertation topic, of which at least 3 (and after the end of martial law\u20145) articles must appear in two different \u201cA\u201d category journals or in international journals indexed in Scopus or Web of Science. Here, the effect of the quartile coefficient is more pronounced: two Q1\u2013Q3-level articles effectively meet the minimum requirement due to the 2.0 coefficient.<\/p>

We've covered all the publication guidelines in detail in a separate article: How Many Publications Are Needed to Defend a PhD in 2026: A Complete Guide for Ukrainian Researchers<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Role of a Specialized Academic Council<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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The regulations of the Ministry of Education and Science and the Cabinet of Ministers establish only minimum requirements. A specific institution of higher education or an educational and research program has the right to set stricter criteria regarding the number of articles and the percentile. Therefore, before planning your strategy, obtain the current Regulations on the Training of PhD Candidates at your institution: it is the academic council that ultimately determines whether you have sufficient publications to be admitted to the defense.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Which Scopus quartile should you choose: Q1, Q2, or Q3?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Publishing in Q1 or Q2 makes sense when the goal is not just to formally meet the minimum requirement, but also to build an academic career, apply for international grants (Horizon Europe, NFDU), or pursue an academic title. The journal\u2019s reputation directly influences the evaluation of the application.<\/p>

Q3 is a sensible compromise when the priority is faster publication at a still-acceptable acceptance rate. In the updated 2024 model, Q3 is equivalent to 2 publications, just like Q1\u2013Q2. This is particularly relevant for narrow niche fields, where there are objectively few top-tier journals.<\/p>

There are no aggregated official data on average review times for each quartile. Generally speaking, Q1 journals tend to have longer review cycles (ranging from several months to a year) due to a high volume of submissions and a more rigorous selection process, whereas Q3 journals tend to publish more quickly. This is merely an observation, not a standard, so please check the specific timeframes on each journal\u2019s website individually.<\/p>

The minimum formal requirement for a PhD defense is three publications that present the main findings of the dissertation. However, an article in a Ukrainian academic journal with three or more co-authors counts as only 0.5 publication, while a high-quality article in a Scopus or Web of Science journal (Q1\u2013Q3) counts as 2.0. Based on our experience, a good benchmark for a smooth defense is 4\u20135 articles, at least one or two of which should be in Q1\u2013Q3 journals. Two such articles (2 \u00d7 2.0 = 4.0 according to the weighting factors) effectively meet the formal minimum requirement. Therefore, when working under a tight deadline, it makes sense to focus on 1\u20132 high-quality Scopus articles and fill the rest with professional publications\u2014either authored alone or in collaboration with your academic advisor\u2014to avoid the 0.5 weighting factor.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Risks and Verification of the Scopus Quartile<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Scopus reviews its indexed publications on a monthly basis and removes those that do not meet the criteria for ethics, peer review, or indexing. In January through June 2026 alone, dozens of journals were removed from the database: 7 in January, 7 in February, 16 in March, 25 in April and May, and another 25 in June. Among those removed are even journals from major publishers (Elsevier, Wiley, Springer Nature, SAGE, Taylor & Francis). This proves that a publisher\u2019s reputation does not guarantee continued indexing.<\/p>

We regularly discuss which publications are currently at risk in our series: Candidates for removal from Scopus<\/a><\/p>

If a journal was removed from Scopus between the article\u2019s publication date and the date of the defense, or if it was not included in the MES List or the Scopus database at all as of the publication date, the article will not be counted, even if the journal appeared to be current at the time the documents were submitted. Therefore, check the quartile and status at two points in time: at the time the article was submitted and immediately before submitting the documents to the ad hoc council.<\/p>

The committees refer to the official Scopus website (the \u201cSources\u201d section) to verify current indexing status and to SCImago Journal and Country Rank to verify quartile rankings. Since SJR updates its data once a year and publishes figures for the previous calendar year, the committee effectively evaluates the quartile based on the most recently published data, which may lag behind the actual situation by nearly a year.<\/p>

We've explained in detail here exactly what the committee reviews in your academic profile: What a Researcher's Scopus Profile Looks Like: What the Committee Checks at a Defence<\/a><\/p>

The most common mistakes when choosing a journal based on quartiles:<\/p>