Choosing the Right Journal for Your Research
By: Sarah Conte on Tue, 03/04/2014
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Publishing process, Choosing a journal, Journal scope, JournalGuide, Directory of Open Access Journals, Impact factor
Publishing process, Choosing a journal, Journal scope, JournalGuide, Directory of Open Access Journals, Impact factor
Publication in a peer-reviewed journal is the obvious goal of most
research projects. It is through publication that your research reaches
others in the field, advancing knowledge and encouraging communication
between groups with similar research goals. Although peer review can be a
lengthy and often exhausting process, the ultimate publication of your
manuscript effectively validates your work and can help to advance your
career, attract bright students and experienced staff, and garner
funding for future studies. One of the most important—and possibly the
least well understood—aspects of the publication process is the choice
of a suitable journal that is likely to accept your work.
research projects. It is through publication that your research reaches
others in the field, advancing knowledge and encouraging communication
between groups with similar research goals. Although peer review can be a
lengthy and often exhausting process, the ultimate publication of your
manuscript effectively validates your work and can help to advance your
career, attract bright students and experienced staff, and garner
funding for future studies. One of the most important—and possibly the
least well understood—aspects of the publication process is the choice
of a suitable journal that is likely to accept your work.
Submitting a manuscript to an unsuitable journal is one of the
most common mistakes made by authors, and both novice and seasoned
researchers are capable of making this error. First-time authors or
those who are branching out into broader research territories may be
unfamiliar with the journals in the field. Meanwhile, experienced
authors may be tempted to publish in the same journals as always,
despite the fact that new publication opportunities are constantly
arising in the form of electronic-only journals and open access
publications. Even rigorous, high-impact work can be rejected when the
topic of the research does not match the scope of the journal, and
making this mistake wastes time, money, and motivation.
most common mistakes made by authors, and both novice and seasoned
researchers are capable of making this error. First-time authors or
those who are branching out into broader research territories may be
unfamiliar with the journals in the field. Meanwhile, experienced
authors may be tempted to publish in the same journals as always,
despite the fact that new publication opportunities are constantly
arising in the form of electronic-only journals and open access
publications. Even rigorous, high-impact work can be rejected when the
topic of the research does not match the scope of the journal, and
making this mistake wastes time, money, and motivation.
Below are some of the most important criteria to keep in mind when choosing a journal that is a good match for your research.
1) What are the aims and scope of the journal?
This information is usually readily available on the journal’s
homepage. Look for a section titled “About the Journal”, “Full Aims and
Scope”, or something similar. Browsing through this page will provide
you with key information about whether your research might be a good
match for the journal. For example, the Clinical Cancer Research website
indicates that the journal prioritizes laboratory and animal studies of
new drugs and molecular targeted agents with the potential to lead to
clinical trials. Other journals may have more broad criteria, and some
indicate that they favor research that is of interest to a wide
audience. For example, The Plant Cell indicates that the primary
criterion for publication is “a new insight that is of broad interest to
all plant biologists, not only specialists.” A journal such as PLOS ONE
casts an even broader net, accepting reports of original research from
all disciplines within science and medicine. Note that some journals
will even specify the types of research that they do not publish. For
example, Food Research International does not publish optimization
studies aiming to increase the yield of a production process.
homepage. Look for a section titled “About the Journal”, “Full Aims and
Scope”, or something similar. Browsing through this page will provide
you with key information about whether your research might be a good
match for the journal. For example, the Clinical Cancer Research website
indicates that the journal prioritizes laboratory and animal studies of
new drugs and molecular targeted agents with the potential to lead to
clinical trials. Other journals may have more broad criteria, and some
indicate that they favor research that is of interest to a wide
audience. For example, The Plant Cell indicates that the primary
criterion for publication is “a new insight that is of broad interest to
all plant biologists, not only specialists.” A journal such as PLOS ONE
casts an even broader net, accepting reports of original research from
all disciplines within science and medicine. Note that some journals
will even specify the types of research that they do not publish. For
example, Food Research International does not publish optimization
studies aiming to increase the yield of a production process.
2) Has the journal published articles that are similar to yours?
Once you have identified a few journals that might be likely to
publish your manuscript based on their broad aims and scope, consider
performing a search with the keywords (or title) of your manuscript to
determine whether the journal has published work that is similar to
yours. Aim to identify 3-5 papers published within the last 5 years and
try to determine whether these papers are similar to yours in quality
and scope. For example, if you performed a clinical study that included
50 patients and you notice that the journal only publishes clinical
studies including 300 patients or more, then this particular journal
might be unlikely to consider your research favorably. Identifying
previously published papers in your specific subject area is excellent
evidence that your research topic is of interest to the audience of a
particular journal, which will increase your chances of review.
publish your manuscript based on their broad aims and scope, consider
performing a search with the keywords (or title) of your manuscript to
determine whether the journal has published work that is similar to
yours. Aim to identify 3-5 papers published within the last 5 years and
try to determine whether these papers are similar to yours in quality
and scope. For example, if you performed a clinical study that included
50 patients and you notice that the journal only publishes clinical
studies including 300 patients or more, then this particular journal
might be unlikely to consider your research favorably. Identifying
previously published papers in your specific subject area is excellent
evidence that your research topic is of interest to the audience of a
particular journal, which will increase your chances of review.
3) What are the journal’s restrictions?
Submission to a journal that does not accept the type of article
you’ve written is a surefire way to be rejected immediately. For
example, some journals, such as the British Journal of Surgery, do not
publish case reports. Thus, it is essential to check the “Information
for Authors” section of your target journal to determine the journal’s
restrictions. It is also important to note restrictions related to word
count. For example, if your manuscript is 7000 words and the journal
accepts papers no longer than 4000 words, a substantial revision will
obviously be required. The cost of publication can also be viewed as a
restriction, as some journals charge very high article processing fees.
Fees can also charged for open access, additional pages beyond a certain
limit, or color figures.
you’ve written is a surefire way to be rejected immediately. For
example, some journals, such as the British Journal of Surgery, do not
publish case reports. Thus, it is essential to check the “Information
for Authors” section of your target journal to determine the journal’s
restrictions. It is also important to note restrictions related to word
count. For example, if your manuscript is 7000 words and the journal
accepts papers no longer than 4000 words, a substantial revision will
obviously be required. The cost of publication can also be viewed as a
restriction, as some journals charge very high article processing fees.
Fees can also charged for open access, additional pages beyond a certain
limit, or color figures.
4) What is the impact factor?
The validity of the impact factor as a metric for journal quality
is controversial due to the many factors that can influence the rating
achieved and the fact that not all of these factors are directly related
to the quality of the publications within the journal. Nevertheless,
the impact factor remains the default method for determining the quality
and reputation of a journal. Although it is tempting to submit a
manuscript to the journal with the highest impact factor, it is
important to objectively evaluate your research and determine whether it
is truly suitable for a top-tier journal. Otherwise, you will risk
valuable time and effort resubmitting (and reformatting) your manuscript
multiple times for multiple journals.
is controversial due to the many factors that can influence the rating
achieved and the fact that not all of these factors are directly related
to the quality of the publications within the journal. Nevertheless,
the impact factor remains the default method for determining the quality
and reputation of a journal. Although it is tempting to submit a
manuscript to the journal with the highest impact factor, it is
important to objectively evaluate your research and determine whether it
is truly suitable for a top-tier journal. Otherwise, you will risk
valuable time and effort resubmitting (and reformatting) your manuscript
multiple times for multiple journals.
5) Consider using JournalGuide as a tool to guide your selection
JournalGuide (www.journalguide.com)
is a free tool that helps researchers evaluate and compare scholarly
journals. The tool allows you to search by journal name, category, or
publisher; additionally, you can enter the title and abstract of your
paper to identify journals that have published articles on similar
topics. JournalGuide allows you to save a list of the journals you are
considering in your JG account, and you can use the “compare” function
to view journals side-by-side. JournalGuide is a compilation of data
from over 22 million published articles; thus, use of JournalGuide
eliminates the need to search through individual journal homepages and
can save a great deal of time and effort.
is a free tool that helps researchers evaluate and compare scholarly
journals. The tool allows you to search by journal name, category, or
publisher; additionally, you can enter the title and abstract of your
paper to identify journals that have published articles on similar
topics. JournalGuide allows you to save a list of the journals you are
considering in your JG account, and you can use the “compare” function
to view journals side-by-side. JournalGuide is a compilation of data
from over 22 million published articles; thus, use of JournalGuide
eliminates the need to search through individual journal homepages and
can save a great deal of time and effort.
After all of the hard work that goes into performing successful
research, the final crucial step is choosing the right journal in which
to publish. With over 2000 new journals added to the Directory of Open Access Journals
in the last 12 months alone, choosing the best journal can be daunting,
even for seasoned researchers, and making the wrong decision can cost
valuable time, money, and effort. Keeping in mind the aims and scope of
the journal, identifying papers that are similar in quality and scope,
determining the journal’s restrictions, considering the impact factor,
and using JournalGuide to efficiently search for and select candidate
journals will ensure a smooth path to publication.
research, the final crucial step is choosing the right journal in which
to publish. With over 2000 new journals added to the Directory of Open Access Journals
in the last 12 months alone, choosing the best journal can be daunting,
even for seasoned researchers, and making the wrong decision can cost
valuable time, money, and effort. Keeping in mind the aims and scope of
the journal, identifying papers that are similar in quality and scope,
determining the journal’s restrictions, considering the impact factor,
and using JournalGuide to efficiently search for and select candidate
journals will ensure a smooth path to publication.
Choosing the Right Journal for Your Research
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