Hanoi University of Industry Organizes Scopus Database Training to Support Scientific Research

On the afternoon of June 30, 2026, Hanoi University of Industry (HaUI), in collaboration with Elsevier, organized a training program on the effective use of the Scopus database for scientific research.

Representing Hanoi University of Industry, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Trinh Trong Chuong, Head of the Board of Science, Technology and Innovation, attended the training together with nearly 300 lecturers, researchers, doctoral candidates, postgraduate students and staff members from functional departments and academic and research units across the University. Representing Elsevier, Dr. Yoottapong Klinthongchai (Win), Customer Success Manager for Southeast Asia, directly delivered the training and provided practical guidance.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Trinh Trong Chuong delivers the opening remarks online

In his opening remarks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Trinh Trong Chuong noted that the training program was organized as part of HaUI’s 2026 plan for science, technology and innovation. He emphasized the practical value of Scopus training for the University’s research community, particularly leaders and members of strong research groups, potential research groups and specialized research groups, as well as principal investigators and members of science and technology projects at different levels. Through the program, participants were expected to strengthen their ability to use Scopus effectively to search for scholarly literature, identify research trends, expand research networks and improve the quality of scientific publications. For postgraduate students, doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers, the training also supports the development of research capacity, academic direction and individual scholarly profiles. The program is therefore a practical initiative to strengthen research groups, improve research quality and enhance HaUI’s academic standing in an increasingly internationalized higher education environment.

Dr. Yoottapong Klinthongchai (Win) introduces the Scopus database

Following the opening remarks, Dr. Yoottapong Klinthongchai (Win) provided an overview of Scopus and guided participants through hands-on use of the database. He explained that Scopus, developed by Elsevier, is one of the world’s largest abstract and citation databases, designed to support researchers in discovering and evaluating scholarly literature and assessing research performance. Scopus provides curated, connected and standardized data, comprising more than 989 million records from approximately 28,900 active journals, 161,000 conferences and 386,000 stand-alone books published by more than 7,000 publishers in 105 countries. In addition to supporting reliable scholarly searches, the database includes profiles of more than 17 million researchers and approximately 94,000 research organizations, enabling analysis of research productivity and the influence of authors, journals and institutions. Scopus also adds around 13,000 new articles each day and integrates open-access content, funding data, preprints and research metrics, making it an important resource for research, research evaluation and strategic planning at both individual and institutional levels.

The expert presents the disciplinary coverage of the Scopus database

Unlike Google, a general-purpose Internet search engine, Scopus is a specialized academic database that indexes scholarly outputs selected through rigorous quality-control processes. While Google retrieves a wide range of content, including news, blogs, videos and personal websites, Scopus focuses on peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings and academic books. Beyond literature searching, Scopus provides citation metrics, author and institutional profiles, and research analytics tools that are not available through a general web search engine. These features make Scopus a more reliable data source for scholarly research and research evaluation.

At the institutional level, Scopus serves not only as a literature-search tool but also as an important source of data for research evaluation and university rankings. Publication and citation data from Scopus are used in major international university rankings, including the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, to assess the research quality and impact of higher education institutions. To maintain data quality, Scopus applies a rigorous content-selection process overseen by the independent Content Selection and Advisory Board (CSAB), comprising experts from a wide range of countries and disciplines. This independent review mechanism helps Scopus maintain objectivity, reliability and an international reputation within the academic community. Consequently, publications indexed in Scopus are widely recognized as scholarly outputs that have met established selection and quality criteria.

Scopus content is overseen by the independent Content Selection and Advisory Board

For doctoral candidates and postgraduate students, Scopus can support the entire research process. At the stage of developing a research idea, users can explore research trends, identify knowledge gaps and select appropriate research topics. When preparing a proposal and designing a study, Scopus facilitates access to high-quality scholarly literature and enables researchers to examine theoretical frameworks, research methods and measurement instruments used in previous studies. During thesis or dissertation preparation and academic writing, it helps users keep abreast of recent publications, identify reliable sources and find suitable journals for disseminating research findings. Scopus can also be used to monitor research metrics, manage individual scholarly profiles and expand research collaboration networks, thereby contributing to stronger research quality and academic capacity among postgraduate students and doctoral candidates.

Research workflow for postgraduate students and doctoral candidates

During the training, the speaker guided participants through hands-on searches for scholarly literature in Scopus. The practical session focused on using keywords, search filters and result-limiting criteria to identify publications relevant to specific research topics efficiently. The exercise helped postgraduate students, doctoral candidates and lecturers strengthen their skills in accessing and using high-quality scholarly sources for study and research.

The expert provides hands-on guidance on accessing and searching Scopus

During the discussion, many participants asked whether access to and use of Scopus required a subscription fee. The Organizing Committee confirmed that Hanoi University of Industry currently subscribes to Scopus, enabling lecturers, postgraduate students, doctoral candidates and researchers to access high-quality scholarly data for teaching, learning and research.

The training program equipped lecturers, researchers, postgraduate students and doctoral candidates with essential knowledge and practical skills for using Scopus effectively in scientific research. Through presentations and hands-on activities, participants gained a clearer understanding of the database’s role, coverage and key functions, while learning how to search for literature, identify research trends, select appropriate journals and monitor research performance. The program contributes to strengthening research capacity, promoting international publication and supporting the development of strong research groups, thereby enhancing the quality and academic standing of Hanoi University of Industry in the context of international integration.