How to select the right journal for publication?

Journals serve as the mouthpiece of excellence by publishing research papers for more than three and a half centuries.  But in today’s technological world, it is difficult for any researcher to identify the right journal to publish his research. Since there are thousands of journals to post, the researcher concludes that doing the research was much more comfortable than finding the journal to publish it.  Choosing the right journal with undisputed reputation is crucial for the research to reach its target audience.

For a researcher, the questions going on his mind after a gruesome task of documenting the research will include, among others:

• In which journal could I reach the maximum number of readers and the scientific fraternity?
• How well could it reach the other researchers for reference to do better research?
• In which journal, there are fewer chances of rejection?
• What will be the period of waiting to see the research in the journal?
• Will the journal in which I publish have the reach to my target audience?
• How will I know the journal which I publish is legitimate?
• Will the journal I publish help developing my career?
• Can the funding opportunities increase or decrease by publishing my research in a particular journal?

Endless questions like the above and more will flood into the minds of the researcher for publishing the research. To search for the right journal among thousands available is like searching a needle in a haystack. Also relying on one source as if it is the Holy Grail is also not advisable. The source may be a friend’s advice, word of mouth, and tools to find journals or any other resources.

journal Selection is a daunting task even for seasoned researches.  The only and the best way is to analyze all the pros and cons of many journals and shortlist three to five journals.  Analysis of all the aspects of the journal in detail is crucial. It is advisable to visit the journal websites to know more about them. Most of the journals  have a page on their site to list out the instructions to the authors. It will also contain answers to many of the researcher’s questions.  It is vital not to rush for the journal, and to take enough time will help in the long run. 

Factors to consider for selecting the right journal for publication:

With the evolution of technology, the parameters for choosing the right journal for publication may change over time. But as of now in 2019 the following factors hold ground for selecting the right journal for publication. 

Ten factors in choosing the right journal for publication:

1. Aim & Scope of the journal:

Exemplary and remarkable research also can have the chance of rejection if the topic is not in line with the Scope of the journal. In the homepage of all the journals, there is a section titled “About the journal” or something similar to that. Browse thoroughly through the section to find out if the journal is a perfect match for publishing your research. 

The aim and Scope of the journal must be narrowed to your research topic and not otherwise. To have further confirmation of the journal, it is advisable to read some abstracts or even some articles of the journal.  Only if the aim of the journal is in tandem with your topic, and related to your subject, it could be shortlisted. If the journal is with a broad scope, it is time to run in the opposite direction. 

2. JIF (Journal Impact Factor):

Journal Impact Factor is still the default method to analyze the quality and reputation of a journal.  It displays the total citations which came in support of the journal articles. It is in proportion to its publication of the number of citation articles in the last five years.  JIF is the factor which is still considered in high esteem by authors, institutions, and employers around the world.  It is easier to get jobs, grants, and others when researchers have to their credit papers published in journals with high impact factor.

On the contrary, there are some observations that JIF does not give the right quality of the articles.  Who quotes the example of Einstein’s work “The Electro-Dynamic Moving Body.”  Now it gets more than a thousand citations every year which is far fewer to what when it was published.  But there are many tools which rely on metrics to represent the multidimensional impact of journals. Since JIF still reigns among metrics, it could be the deciding factor for such tools to select the right journal

3. Indexing of Journals:

Proper indexing of journals adds to their reputation in terms of broad coverage in reputed databases. DOAJ or the Directory of Open Access Journals is one database to check out.  Many journals report of their DOAJ index but is safe to check the DOAJ list to confirm the journal is listed in it. Reputed databases take into account the many factors before indexing the journals. It includes the following among others:

• Quality of paper
• Review process
• Regularity of publication
• Journal’s reputation

4. Peer-reviewed journals:

Articles published in peer-reviewed journals enjoy great respect among the academic and scientific fraternity.  It is due to the stringent publishing process with the editor having the right to chose or reject even the peer-reviewed articles.  The feedback of the reviewers can be accepted or rejected by the editors adding value to these peer-reviewed journals.

5. Publishing time:

Seasoned researchers know that for a good manuscript to be published in reputed journals take 9 to 12 months.  There are instances of research papers being rejected after a long time and spoiling the career of the researchers.  The optimum time limit for rejection is 4 – 6 weeks.   The more they publish, the lesser the time is taken by them to publish your researches. The best time is to wait for the special editions from reputed journals and submitting it to them.  Due to less number of research papers submitted at that time, there are more chances for your research to be published.

6. Acceptance Rate:

Check for the acceptance rate of journals on the website and their lower acceptance rate confirm their worthiness. But most of the journals do not post the acceptance rates.

7. Reach of journals:

It is imperative for your article to reach a broad and global audience. Check the journals for their wide distribution.  Also, check whether they are published on a recognized online platform to enable the content to be read by researchers and readers at little or no cost.

8. Check the journals for any publication similar to your research article:

Using the keywords check the journals for any related articles published in the last five years. It will help in finding the parameters of publishing such articles and also it is enough proof of your article to be of interest for the journal readers.

9. Check for the journal’s restrictions:

Check the section pertaining to instructions for authors on the journal website to determine the journal’s limitations. It could avoid many rejections due to word count, type of article, article processing fees, and many more.

10. Be aware of predatory publishers:

Due to the Open Access movement, there are many predatory publishers now than before.  With technological support the access recently published papers and their authors.  Then they send genuine emails listing out the best of your previous papers and ask for new research papers to publish. Novice researchers fall prey for these kinds of predatory publishers.  It is because they cannot resist the temptation of their research being published within weeks. When in doubt, checking for their online presence could be a way to prevent these predatory publishers.

The above ten factors will help researchers to choose the right journal publishing services to publish their researches for its far and wide reach. It is crucial for any researcher to patiently wait for publishing in the appropriate journal for appreciation by the scientific community and other researchers.

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