I accepted an invitation to review a paper 6 days ago. I downloaded it, but had not started the review process. Yesterday I accessed Scopus for the first time since I got my new hard drive (so it cannot have any Scopus cookies unless they were embedded in Mendeley). I went through the "check author name" on Scopus and downloaded a couple of files that an Editor on another Elsevier journal told me to add to a paper that I had sent to that journal. Then I downloaded a few files for this blog. A few hours later I was denied access even though I have not finished reviewing the paper.
Either
1. Scopus really is limiting access to only check "author name" which is a ridiculous use of their database and inconsistent with doing a proper review. Imagine researchers review papers and hand over their publications for free for Elsevier to make a profit and then reviewers can only use Scopus to check the author name. OR
2. Elsevier does not want me to put abstracts on my blog for readers to look at. Can that really be possible? OR
3. It is personal? I am not allowed to continue academic activities outside of an academic institution? As far as I know I have no 2nd or 3rd degree connections to anyone in Scopus except the technicians that I have had to deal with over the last two years of poor access to Scopus. I am now owed 90 days access for 2015 and 30 days access for 2016; not counting the current paper that I am reviewing,
When I went to bed last night thinking about Scopus I remembered that I had not put up a Firewall on my new hard drive. I did that first thing this morning.
Last night I contacted the Editor of the Journal whose paper I am supposed to be reviewing and this morning I got a reply that they are sorry I am having continuous problems and are looking into it.
