Publishing Tips

                                                                                               By Rock1997 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

While journals are the popular choice for faculty, they are not the only option (e.g. books, blogs, websites, or repositories).

Reflect on the following:

Why are you publishing?

Who is the audience for the publication? Consider where they find their information. This may mean venues other than journals.

Criteria for consideration:

• Is the journal peer reviewed? This will be an important factor for faculty seeking tenure and promotion and those wanting to publish a research manuscript. Consult your college promotion and tenure documentation for scholarship requirements.

• Which databases (if any) index the journals under consideration? Choosing a journal that is indexed in discipline-specific databases increases an article’s discoverability. Journals frequently publicize in which databases they are indexed. See the About this Journal page on the journal's website.

• Does journal impact factor matter? While most researchers prefer to publish in a high impact factor journal, the higher the impact factor, usually, the lower the acceptance rate and harder it is to be accepted.

• Is journal publication frequency important? Some journals publish bi-monthly and some only quarterly or even annually. Timing may play a significant role in deciding which journals to target.

• How is a journal’s relationship with its authors? Some journals are more responsive and easier to work with than others. Ask colleagues about their experiences publishing in a particular journal.

• What is the journal’s acceptance rate? This metric is not always included on the journal website, but if listed, it will provide some idea of how much competition a manuscript might face.

• Is publishing open access (OA) an option? There are some definite advantages to choosing the OA route (e.g. copyright control of the content, including any author-created research tools). Some journals are exclusively OA, but many well-known journals offer a hybrid publishing model; authors can choose either OA or traditional publishing.

• What is the estimated time to decision? This metric is not always available on the journal website either but is helpful in providing a time frame for how long you might to have to wait. If available, it is likely published on the About this Journal, Journal Information, or Information for Authors page.

Pre-submission tips:

Read the journal Aim and Scope carefully.

• Ensure your article meets the criteria set forth by the journal. For example: does the journal require or prohibit certain methodologies?

Read the Author Guidelines or Information for Authors 

• Check word counts and page lengths; verify the paper fits the cap
• Confirm required citation style
• Verify formatting
• Verify document blinding, if required

Journal Finders

Discipline Specific

Multi-disciplinary Resources:

Publisher and Vendor Specific Resources:

Other Methods for Identifying Journals

• Ask a colleague - choose a journal recommended by a colleague
• Check references from your literature search - where were those articles published?
• Check the publications list within the database you want your article to be indexed in. Most provide the option for a subject search (e.g. law or education) in order to focus the journal title results.
• Perform a broad search in a favorite database using your author-supplied keywords. Where were the resulting articles published?