Getting published: knock, knock, knocking on journal doors

Want to get published? Use our Library tools to work out which journals to approach

Deciding on a journal to approach with a view to publishing your work can be daunting. Where can you start? Who can you seek advice from?

The Library has several tools that can aid in finding appropriate journals and establishing your shortlist. These will help you find journals in your field as well as the key information about each to help with informed decisions.

Before we look at those tools, let’s run through a quick checklist of some of the key factors to consider. The key to assessing any journal is considering their relevance, reputation, visibility and validity.

• audience reach (international or local, indexed in universities?)
  
• peer review process and the academic integrity of the publication
• the editorial board composition (who are they, and do they have any weight in your field?)
• how long do they take to decide (how long are you prepared to wait?)
• publishing online (what is the delay period between acceptance and your work appearing?)
• impact factor for the journal
• open access policy in the contract (what rights will you retain to further use your work?)

Keep in mind that for an article to be eligible for ERA inclusion, the journal must be scholarly (peer reviewed) rather than produced by a professional body.

These following platforms will help streamline your search for contacts and publications you may not be aware of. Once you have a shortlist, it’s worthwhile looking at the publisher’s website.

• Ulrich’s has information about peer reviewed journals including indexing information, publication frequency and readership
• Cabell’s International directories cover type of review process, acceptance rate, number of reviewers, time required for review, and availability of reviewer comments. Some specific manuscript submission guidelines are also provided.
• Browzine allows you to browse most of the Library’s subscribed journal content, with a colour magazine style interface
•  Altmetric articles are given a score that measures the quantity and quality of attention they have received to date from a social media and news perspective.
• Web of Science, Scopus andGoogle Scholar for journal and researcher impact. SJRcan be used to find data on the visibility (impact and citation rankings) of titles in the Scopus database from 1996 on.  A wide range of scientific and social science subjects are covered.
• DOAJ is a community curated directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, and peer-reviewed journals.
• MultiSearch can be used to find articles so that you can assess which journals are publishing the most relevant ones in your field.ccByflickr,SolarisGirl/page

The adage  “if it sounds too good to be true…” also rings true in the academic world. Predatory publishing is rife, so do some research on any unsolicited invitations you receive. If in doubt, look at further information provided in the ‘Strategic Publishing’ link below.

Feel free to share your experience in the blog comments below if there is one of these resources you’ve found useful, and why.

As always, if you have questions, your Research Librariancan help, or have a look at the Library guides onEvaluating Journals and Strategic Publishing.