Imagine being told that your life’s work has no value simply because it isn’t listed in a database. That is the concern raised in A. Balaji’s article “The Scopus Trap.” Which appeared in the Hindu's Education Plus supplement on March 23rd, 2026.
Today, many colleges and universities in India evaluate research mainly through Scopus indexing and citation counts. In simple terms, if your work is not indexed or widely cited, it is often overlooked. This creates a serious problem, especially in fields like literature and the humanities. Creative works—such as poems, plays, essays, and translations—do not always fit into rigid research formats. But that does not make them any less meaningful. In fact, they capture emotions, culture, and human experiences in ways that numbers and graphs simply cannot.
Yet, the current system tends to favour data-heavy, technical research over creative expression. The result is a growing gap where creativity is pushed aside, and scholars feel pressured to produce “countable” research rather than meaningful work. Interestingly, other countries are moving in a different direction. In places like the UK and Australia, creative works are now recognised as valid research outputs. These systems acknowledge that knowledge is not just about statistics—it is also about storytelling, interpretation, and cultural insight.
The article suggests that India can also improve by:
Accepting creative works as proper research
Giving importance to quality, not just numbers
Using flexible ways to evaluate different kinds of work
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