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Citation Analysis: Finding an Appropriate Journal

Journal Directories

Factors to Consider in Determining Appropriateness of Journal

Your choice of journal for manuscript submission may depend on several factors:

Purpose of publishing

  • What are the interests of my program/department?
  • What is the desired current and future use of my research?

Visibility of the journal

  • Is the journal indexed?
  • What is its circulation?
  • What is its frequency? How many issues are published per year?
  • What is the journal's “prestige” or impact factor?
  • Hint: look at the “About this journal” section of publisher’s website

Focus of the journal

  • Know target audience of a journal
  • Who publishes the journal?
  • What associations or societies may this journal be affiliated with? Will my paper appeal to the membership?
  • Which journals are my peers most likely to read? 

Responsiveness and feedback of journal

  • Instructions for Authors readily accessible and comprehensive
  • Journal describes the editorial process
  • Electronic submission systems
  • Where have my colleagues published and did they have positive experiences?

Journal styles and distribution

  • Copyrights are a bundle of rights: Can I have a free reprint or electronic copy of my work? Can I share in classwork?
  • Ensure maximum distribution and use of scholarly output
  • Various publishing models: OA, traditional, hybrid, electronic/print, embargoes
  • Various versions of output:  Epub, short, long, abstract, unedited online, author manuscript, etc.

Journal accessibility/Access for your target audience

  • How does the publisher make journal accessible?  Print and/or electronically?
  • Is content free (Open Access) or subscribed?
  • Google Scholar – retrieves articles posted in repositories
  • Various repositories to deposit your work (but publisher may permit only certain output styles)

Author costs

  • Traditional vs. Open Access publishing models (Open Access may require that author pays a pub fee)
  • Does my program/department have a policy on handling submission, acceptance, or processing fees for faculty?
  • Author costs can be a deterrent to selecting a fee-charging journal
  • Possible benefits of a fee-charging journal?  OA, immediacy, accessibility, author retention of copyright

 

Content  is adapted from the following article:

Thompson, P.J. (2007). How to choose the right journal for your manuscript. Chest, 132(3), 1073-6.


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