Selecting the Right Journal

The module will discuss the factors that should be considered when selecting an appropriate journal for publication, as well as provide numerous resources that will assist with the selection.

Learning Objectives

• Explain the key factors that should be considered when selecting a journal
• Identify and become familiar with online directories and other resources that are helpful in the selection process

Selecting an appropriate journal to publish your research findings is one of the critical steps in disseminating your research findings. Your research will need to be published in the right journal to reach your target audience and for your research to have the desired impact. Following is a list of the key factors that should be considered as well as links to online directories and other resources that will assist you in finding the appropriate journal.

• Target your audience - Focus on finding journals most used by researchers and authors in your field of study. Understanding the readership of a journal is critical. It will be helpful to become familiar with the scope and aim of the journals you are considering. For example, if your topic is a focused area within a discipline, look for journals with a narrow focus that will specifically target other specialists in your field, rather than multidisciplinary journals with a broader focus. Instead of focusing on many readers, focus on targeting the right readers. Finding the right "fit" between the journal and your manuscript is probably the important factor that will increase the likelihood of acceptance. You may begin by considering journals that you commonly use, checking journal websites for descriptions and reviewing back issues of journals.
• Consider journal type - As discussed in previous modules, it will be important to ensure that your journal is reputable, scholarly, peer-reviewed publication. The Ulrich's Periodical Directory is a great resource for finding this information.
• Find the basic journal information - Learn about the circulation of the journal, the number of times it publishes per year, number of articles per year, and so forth. Again, the Ulrich's Periodical Directory is a great place to look for this information.
• Consider the impact, ranking and indexing status by citationdatabases- These factors will give you an indicator of journal quality. Some examples of factors that are considered are frequency of citations from articles in the journal, articles published in a year, citation influence, the journal influence index, the immediacy index, and many others. The indexing status refers to whether the journal is indexed by any major citation databases, which will increase the reach of your publication. Following is a list of resources that will assist you in finding that information.
  • eigenFACTOR 
  • ISI Journal Citation Reports  
  • Red Jasper's Center for Journal Ranking  
  • scienceWATCH 
  • SCImago 
  • SCOPUS Journal Analyzer
  • Ulrich's Periodical Directory
• Likelihood of Acceptance - It may be helpful to review the acceptance rates to the journals you are considering to determine the competitiveness of the journal. Some journals have acceptance rates of 10% or less and it is important to be realistic in your journal selection. Some journals publish their acceptance rates on their websites, or you may contact their Editor in Chief. Cabell's Directory of Publishing Opportunities  is another online resource that may be useful in finding this information. 
• The review process - You may want to investigate the review process for the journal you are interested in. How long is the typical review process for the journal? What is their timeline for notifying authors? If accepted, how long will it be until the article is published? You can check the website or print copy for information about the review process.
• Fees - Be aware that some journals may have fees for things such as reviewing articles, fees for use of color, processing fees, and so forth. Make sure you are aware of potential fees before submitting a manuscript to any journal.
• Author's Rights - Journals also vary in rights that the author is able to retain. For example, some will allow author's the rights to their peer-reviewed article, and they can publish it on a website or disseminate it further. Other journals are more restrictive.

These are just a few of the key factors that should be considered. The Resource Links on this page provide additional considerations and resources that may be helpful in journal selection. The following YouTube video provides additional insights into journal selection and manuscript acceptance directly from a journal editor.

Tips from a Journal Editor: How to Select a Journal for your Paper?

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