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Publish Your Research

A guide to finding the best places to publish your research and practices that maximize your impact.

Evaluate a Journal

There is no single criterion that indicates whether or not a publication is reputable or a good fit. Look for a cumulative effect of more positives or more negatives before making a decision.

Scope and relevance

  1. The scope of the journal should be well defined and clearly stated on their website. When you read some of their articles, are they within that scope and do they meet the standards of the discipline?

  2. The journal is included in subject/discipline-specific databases and there are articles related to your topic. The more databases a journal is in, the more exposure your work will have.

  3. Do you, your colleagues, mentors, peers, and/or research partners know the journal? Have they read or published articles in it?

  4. Are the editors/editorial board recognized experts in the field? Do they list the journal on their websites?

Publisher operations

  1. Is the journal clear about the type of peer review it uses?

  2. Does the journal have an ISSN? An ISSN is a unique identifier that allows the journal to be indexed by various databases, which expands its discoverability.

  3. Does the website list any fees that authors may be charged for publishing their article, and if so, does the journal site explain what these fees are for and when they will be charged?

  4. Does this journal publish articles consistently?

  5. Can you deposit a copy in your institution's repository or personal website? Search in Sherpa Romeo for details.

  6. Does the journal or publisher have reliable contact information, including:

    1. An institutional or journal-affiliated email address (not @gmail.com or @yahoo.com)
    2. Multiple modes of contact (email, phone, street address)
    3. Ability to contact multiple staff members affiliated with the journal

  7. Is the journal or publisher a member of a publishing organization that promotes best practices, like:

    1. COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics)
    2. ALPSP (Association of Learned & Professional Society Publishers)
    3. ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors)
    4. If open access:
      1. OASPA (Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association)
      2. DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals)

 

Adapted from: