Guides: Publishing Tips: Identifying Journals for Manuscript Submission

Not Sure Where to Publish?

While journals are the popular choice for faculty, they are not the only option (e.g. 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.

Choosing a Journal

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. Database indexing can be found on the journal's website.
Does journal impact factor matter? While most faculty prefer to publish in a high impact factor journal, the higher the impact factor, usually, the harder it is to get a manuscript accepted.
Is journal publication frequency important? Some journals publish bi-monthly and some only semi- or even annually. Time sensitive research or an approaching tenure application deadline may factor into the journal decision.
How is the journal’s relationship with their authors? Some journals are more responsive than others. If possible, 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). Some journals are exclusively OA, but many well-known journals offer a hybrid; 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 some idea as to how long you are going to have to wait.

Pre-Submission Tips:

Read the 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

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

Journal Finders and Other Tips for Identifying Journal Options

Journal Finders

Discipline Specific

IEEE Publication Recommender
Helps find the best match for your scholarly article among IEEE publications. IEEE focuses on engineering, computing, and technology.
JANE (Journal/Author Name Estimator)
Enter the title and/or abstract of the paper in the box, and click on "Find". Jane will then compare your document to millions of documents in Medline to find the best matching journals, authors or articles.
Nurse Author & Editor
Directory of nursing journals to help nurse authors find a suitable and reputable journal in which to publish their work.

Multi-disciplinary Resources:

JournalGuide
Authors can enter the title and abstract of their manuscript to discover journals that have already published articles on similar topics. It shows impact factor and speed to publication (although not all journals have this listed). Most complete journal data are in the biomedical fields; however, they have journal-specific pages for journals across all disciplines.
Web of Science Master Journal List & Manuscript Matcher
Find relevant, reputable journals for potential publication of your research based on an analysis of tens of millions of citation connections in Web of Science Core Collection. Content includes over 250 sciences, social sciences, and arts & humanities disciplines.

Publisher and Vendor Specific Resources:

EBSCO A - Z list
Find journals available from the library's collection. Browse publications by subject in order to choose journals for publication.
Elsevier JournalFinder
Enter title and abstract of your paper to easily find Elsevier journals that could be best suited for publishing. Site includes acceptance rates, time to 1st decision, and time to publication.
Springer Nature Journal Suggester
Search all Springer and BMC journals by entering your manuscript details to see a list of journals most suitable for your manuscript.
Taylor & Francis Journal Suggester
Paste in the full abstract of your article and the suggester will help you find the best T&F journal for your research article.
Wiley Journal Finder
Suggests Wiley journals that may be relevant for your research by simply entering your manuscript title and abstract.

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?