Practical Seminars on International Scientific Databases Held at the Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences

Practical Seminars on International Scientific Databases Held at the Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences

From October 12 to 22, 2026, the Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University held a series of practical seminars dedicated to working with international scientific information databases and analytical platforms, including Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SciVal, and LeapSpace.

The seminars were organized by the faculty's departments to enhance the research competencies of academic staff, improve their skills in searching for and analyzing scientific information, and increase the quality of research publications in international peer-reviewed journals.

The practical seminars were held across five departments of the faculty:

October 12 – Department of Meteorology and Hydrology;

October 14 – UNESCO Chair for Sustainable Development;

October 16 – Department of Recreational Geography and Tourism;

October 19 – Department of Geography, Land Management and Cadastre;

October 22 – Department of Cartography and Geoinformatics.

During the seminars, participants explored the capabilities of international scientific databases for identifying relevant research publications, analyzing emerging research trends, evaluating the scientific performance of researchers, and selecting appropriate journals for publishing research findings.

Particular attention was paid to effective literature search strategies in Scopus, including the use of keywords and Boolean operators, citation analysis, and the application of bibliometric indicators such as CiteScore, SJR, and SNIP. The sessions also covered journal quartile rankings (Q1–Q4), the assessment of researchers' publication activity, and the principles of academic integrity.

Special emphasis was placed on the criteria for selecting international scientific journals, preparing high-quality research articles, exploring Open Access publishing opportunities, and identifying unethical publishing practices, including predatory journals.

As part of the introduction to Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SciVal, and LeapSpace, participants also became familiar with their capabilities for scientific information retrieval, research performance analysis, and identifying promising areas for international scientific collaboration.

The practical seminars formed an important part of the faculty's ongoing efforts to strengthen its research capacity, enhance the publication activity of its academic staff, and reinforce KazNU's position in the international scientific and educational community.

Such initiatives contribute to the development of practical skills in using modern digital research tools, improving the quality of scientific research, and expanding opportunities for international scientific cooperation.