Date: 2020-07-01

The Nigerian Journal of Technological Development, a quarterly scientific publication of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology, University of Ilorin, has been accepted by Scopus, a global scientific and research database.

Scopus is a huge multidisciplinary database with citations and abstracts from peer-reviewed journal literature, trade journals, books, patent records and conference publications.

It provides tools for tracking, analysing and visualising search results.

The acceptance of journal was contained in a letter addressed to the Managing Editor of the Unilorin Journal, Dr. Mudathir Akorede.

Scopus said the Unilorin journal was included in the list of journals that would henceforth be captured in its periodic evaluation of research findings of individual academics and institutions of higher learning across the world.

The global research outfit said that the inclusion followed the rigorous consideration of the application of the journal by the Content Selection and Advisory Board of Scopus.

The letter read that the Unilorin publication was found worthy and acceptable.

It added that the Source Collection Management Department of Scopus would soon contact the publisher of the title to initiate the indexing process of the outfit.

According to the letter, Scopus expressed the hope that the diversity of the journal's editorial board members will be further enriched with members from the international scientific community to increase its appeal.

Reacting to the development, Akorede described the inclusion as 'the eventful culmination of the painstaking efforts of all the past Editorial Boards, Advisory Boards, and Reviewers of the Journal as well as scholars who had at one time or the other published their research findings in it".

He added that the successive leadership of the faculty also deserved commendation for initiating and sustaining the journal. According to him, the journal has afforded hundreds of scholars and professionals the opportunities to ventilate their ingenuity over the years.

He said that the inclusion would not have been realised without their path-finding efforts.

Akorede expressed joy that the efforts of scholars and professionals in the field of Engineering and Technology from the university and beyond would henceforth be enjoying due evaluation at international level in view of the significance of Scopus among members of the international scientific community.

The don said that the approval came at the most auspicious moment, particularly for the relevant academic staff of the university in view of the recent recommendation of the institution's Library and Publications Committee to adopt the Scimago Journal Ranking to rate their publications.

Akorede explained that the inclusion was also a landmark achievement not only for the Faculty of Engineering and Technology, but also for the university and the nation's university system in general.

According to him, this is considering the fact that the Unilorin Journal is among the 21 of such that have been found worthy of inclusion in the world-renowned database.

Akorede, who is the University 2019 Researcher of the Year, noted that the inclusion would further expose the contributing scholars and researchers to more international collaboration with their colleagues from other parts of the world

He commended the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem, for creating an enabling environment for the growth of academic culture, particularly research and publication, among the academic staff of the institution.

Akorede urged his colleagues to take advantage of the development to advance their career and register themselves among the internationally recognised scholars by publishing their scholarly research works in the journal.