You have completed your research project and your next step is to decide where to publish your work.  There are steps you can take to ensure you select a high-quality journal that aligns with your scholarly goals.  Below are a series of questions you can use to compare several journals you are considering to publish your research.

 

1. Readership: What is the intended audience of the journal?

 

2. Scope: What is the focus and scope of the journal?

 

3. Peer Review: Is the Journal peer-reviewed?

 

4. Relevance: Does the journal publish the kind of publication you intend to write? (I.e. Journal article, book review, review, letter etc.)

 

5. Reputation: Consult The Web of Science Journal Citation Reports to find out the impact factor and where the journal is ranked in its category. Examine the list of editors and look to see if there are any names you recognize in your field.  Avoid the Predatory Journals by consulting this guide.

 

6. Citation: Examine the journals that publish the articles you are using as a background information. Is the journal being cited by other researchers in the field?

 

7. Timeliness: Consider the amount of time it takes from submission to publication.

 

8.  Cost: Will the journal charge for publishing?

 

9. Indexing: Is the journal indexed in the Web of Science or Medline?

 

10. Accessibility: Is the Journal Open access or Not?

Listed Below are some tools that can help to choose a journal. 

Journal/Author Name Estimator (JANE)

Edantz Journal Selector

Elsevier Journal Finder

Springer Journal Suggester

EndNote Match: Find the Best Fit Journals for Your Manuscript

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