So, you're in the process of writing a paper. You've done some research, written up your results, and now want to share your results with your peers. Finding an appropriate journal to submit your results to can be difficult: many journals cover a wide range of topics, and research is increasingly multi-disciplinary. How do you find a journal that is both a match for the work you have produced, and will reach the community of peers that can benefit from your findings?
There are a number of options:
- Look at your bibliography
Take a look at the articles you've already cited in your paper. Where were they published? If you see some common titles popping up, it is likely that your article would also be a good candidate for those titles.
- Jane
Journal/Author Name Estimator (Jane) is a freely-available, web based application that recommends a list of journals based upon the words in the title and/or abstract of your paper. JANE works by matching the words in your paper to words in other, published articles. It then produces a list of potentially relevant journals for your to browse. It can also be a useful tool to identify potential reviewers for your paper.
- Subscription-based tools
If you are affiliated with a university, you may have access to a number of subscription-based tools that will help you assess individual journal titles, or groups of journals within a particular subject area. Useful tools in this category include UlrichsWeb Global Serials Directory (which provides information about particular titles) and Journal Citation Reports (which calculates statistics about journals including impact factors).
Once you have decided on a journal that looks like a good fit with your manuscript, take a look at the journal's editorial statements or instructions to authors. This will provide detailed guidance on the types of submissions that are accepted by that journal. You will want to ensure that the journal is peer reviewed and of good quality. The rise of electronic publishing and the Open Access model has meant a proliferation of online publishers, some of which are of questionable quality. Librarian Jeffrey Beall keeps a list of such "predatory" publishers here.
