Conference Proceedings Citation Index (CPCI)
The Conference Proceedings Citation Index (CPCI) is an index service provided by Clarivate Analytics, integrated within the Web of Science Core Collection. It specializes in indexing conference proceedings from globally reputable conferences across various academic disciplines. CPCI is divided mainly into CPCI-S (Science) and CPCI-SSH (Social Sciences & Humanities), catering to scientific as well as humanities and social science fields respectively.
The purpose of CPCI is to make conference proceedings accessible, searchable, and citable through one of the world’s leading multidisciplinary citation databases. This facilitates greater dissemination of conference research and enhances the academic reach of authors and institutions.
Inclusion in CPCI means the conference proceedings will appear alongside journal articles, making conference papers discoverable in citation reports, h-index calculations, and other academic metrics on Web of Science.
Why Indexing in CPCI Matters
Enhancing Scholarly Impact and Visibility
Indexing in CPCI exposes conference papers to a global academic audience, including researchers, institutions, and funding bodies. It greatly increases discoverability, potentially leading to higher citation counts for papers presented at the conference.
Increasing Conference Prestige
Having a conference indexed in CPCI signals quality and academic rigor, attracting higher quality submissions in the future and boosting attendance and sponsorship interest.
Supporting Academic Careers
CPCI-indexed proceedings carry greater weight when researchers include them in CVs and grant applications, as these indexed papers are recognized in academic performance evaluation.
Facilitating Research Networking
Indexed conferences gain enhanced networking opportunities through Web of Science’s referencing and cited-by features, helping researchers connect and collaborate based on shared citations.
Criteria for CPCI Inclusion
Clarivate applies stringent criteria to include any conference proceedings in CPCI, ensuring that indexed content meets high standards. Some of the key criteria include:
Conference Quality and Reputation
- The conference must demonstrate consistent academic quality and an established track record.
- It should have a clear scientific or scholarly scope.
- Ideally, the conference is sponsored or endorsed by recognized academic societies or institutions.
Proceedings Content Quality
- Papers should be peer-reviewed rigorously.
- The proceedings should contain original research content, with a good balance of theoretical, experimental, and applied research.
- Abstracts, keywords, and author affiliations should be complete and consistent.
Editorial Standards and Publishing Practices
- The conference organizer should maintain a professional editorial board or committee to oversee paper selection and quality.
- The proceedings must be published by a recognized publishing entity or platform.
- Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) should be assigned to individual papers when possible.
Metadata and Accessibility
- High-quality, well-structured metadata (author names, affiliations, abstracts, keywords, references) must be provided in formats compliant with indexing standards.
- Proceedings should be published in English, or at least provide English translations of titles and abstracts.
- The proceedings should have permanent digital availability.
Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Your Conference Indexed
Here is a practical process to follow to maximize the chances your conference proceedings are indexed in CPCI:
1: Meticulous Conference Planning
- Define Scope & Themes: Establish a clear and focused academic theme. Ambiguous or overly broad topics may affect quality perception.
- Form an Expert Committee: Gather a reputable program committee from diverse but relevant institutions, ideally with notable researchers.
- Implement Rigorous Review Process: Design a peer-review process that includes multiple reviewers per paper with blind review mechanisms to ensure fairness.
2: Produce Quality Proceedings
- Publication Format: Preferably publish the proceedings in electronic form with a consistent and standard file format (commonly PDF).
- Publisher Partnerships: Collaborate with reputable scientific publishers who have experience with indexing services. Many conferences partner with publishers like Springer, IEEE, Elsevier, or ACM.
- Assign DOIs: Register and assign DOIs to individual papers. CrossRef is the main agency for DOI registration.
3: Adhere to Publication Ethics & Standards
- Plagiarism Checks: Use plagiarism detection tools to ensure original content.
- Ethical Standards: Establish and communicate clear policies on ethical publishing practices, conflicts of interest, and research misconduct.
4: Prepare Comprehensive Metadata
- Include All Required Fields: Authors’ full names, affiliations, abstracts, keywords, ORCID IDs, and references must be complete.
- Language Standards: English abstracts and titles are essential, even if full papers are in another language.
- Structured Data Formats: Use XML or other formats recommended by Clarivate or the chosen publisher to submit metadata.
5: Submit a Formal Request to Clarivate
- Clarivate does not index proceedings automatically. Organizers or publishers usually must apply for consideration through Clarivate’s title evaluation process.
- Contact Clarivate: Send a request outlining the conference’s details, scope, history, editorial board, review process, and sample proceedings.
- Provide Sample Proceedings: Include at least one full set of proceedings from a recent edition.
- The evaluation process can be lengthy and detailed.
6: Respond to Clarivate’s Feedback
- Clarivate may request additional information or improvements.
- Be ready to revise editorial processes, publication formats, or metadata quality as per their suggestions.
Best Practices for Ensuring Indexing Success
Consistency and Regularity
Hold the conference regularly (annual, biannual) to build a continuous record of quality proceedings.
Transparency
Make conference policies on peer review, ethics, and publishing openly available on the conference website.
Collaboration with Publishers
Work with publishers who have experience with Clarivate processes and indexing workflows.
Digital Archiving
Ensure proceedings are digitally archived in stable repositories or through publisher platforms with permanent identifiers.
Networking with Clarivate
Maintain communication with Clarivate’s indexing team to understand evolving criteria and keep your submission compliant.
Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them
Poor Quality or Irregular Proceedings
Solution: Strengthen review and editorial processes, possibly by recruiting high-profile experts and adopting stricter acceptance criteria.
Metadata Incompleteness
Solution: Use standardized templates, checklists, and automated metadata extraction tools to produce high-quality metadata.
Lack of Publisher Cooperation
Solution: Consider partnering with well-known academic publishers or platforms with indexing experience.
Language Barriers
Solution: Translate abstracts and titles into English to enhance accessibility.
Post-Indexing: Maintaining Quality and Visibility
Getting indexed is just the beginning. After acceptance, to maintain CPCI indexing and maximize benefits:
- Continue strict peer-review and publication standards.
- Ensure timely publication and metadata updates.
- Promote proceedings through academic channels.
- Monitor citation metrics and engage authors and attendees about the value of indexed proceedings.
- Archive data safely and maintain website integrity.
Indexing your conference in the Conference Proceedings Citation Index (CPCI) is a significant achievement that can greatly increase the visibility, prestige, and academic impact of your conference and the research it features. The process is rigorous and demands a strong commitment to quality, transparency, and adherence to international publishing standards.
FAQs
What is the Conference Proceedings Citation Index (CPCI)?
The Conference Proceedings Citation Index (CPCI) is a database within the Web of Science that indexes and tracks citations from conference papers in science, technology, and social sciences.
Why is CPCI important for researchers?
CPCI helps researchers find influential conference papers, track citation impact, and identify key trends in emerging fields.
What types of content does CPCI cover?
It includes full conference proceedings, abstracts, and papers from major global conferences in science, engineering, and the social sciences.
How can I access CPCI?
Access CPCI through the Web of Science platform, often available through university or institutional libraries.
Is CPCI considered a reputable source for academic work?
Yes, CPCI is a reputable index used by academics and researchers to discover peer-reviewed conference literature.