While choosing a journal to target for your next publication, what do you consider? There are many important factors to keep in mind. Your research must, of course, be relevant to your chosen journal. Perhaps you will target a journal you have published in before, and where you know the editors. You might think about which journal gives you the best chance of your paper being accepted. You are also very likely to think about the impact factor of the journal.
Basically, the impact factor of a journal depends on the average number of citations received by articles published in the journal. This gives you an idea of how much exposure the article is likely to get. Although the system is not perfect, it remains one of the best available ways to check the status of a journal. Most researchers still prefer to get their papers published in journals with higher impact factors. One such high impact factor publication is the SAGE Publications.
Who are SAGE Publications?
Many SAGE journals certainly meet the high impact factor requirement. SAGE is a large, international publishing company. SAGE publishes over 1,000 journals, covering almost every discipline, from Arts to Sciences. The company also publishes more than 800 new books every year. SAGE has offices around the world, from London to Melbourne.
SAGE is not just a big publishing company – it also publishes some very successful journals. In 2018, SAGE published the leading journal (according to impact factor) in 16 different subject areas. The success of SAGE journals has grown steadily in recent years. Over 50% of SAGE journals are now ranked in the top half of the list. 90 SAGE journals are in the top ten for their subject.
SAGE was also one of the first large publishers to launch an Open Access program. The company offers a number of Open Access options. This allows researchers to comply with the requirements of their institution or funder.
Why Choose a SAGE Journal?
If you are not sure whether a SAGE journal is right for your article, here are a few things that might help you decide.
- High Production Standards: All SAGE journals have high production standards. The aim is to benefit the author by making the whole publication process as smooth as possible. Authors are invited to give feedback after their article is published.
- Online Publication: SAGE has a special manuscript submission system, operated by ScholarOne. This allows authors to track the progress of their article through the publication process. SAGE also has a feature called OnlineFirst, which publishes articles online before they appear in print. This means that other researchers can access your articles sooner.
- Discoverability: If you choose SAGE, your article will be published on SAGE Journals, a comprehensive online library for articles published by SAGE. This makes it easy for other researchers to search and discover your article. Readers can choose from a number of options to access articles.
- SAGE and Open Access: If your goal is to publish in an Open Access journal, SAGE has a number of options for you as well. These include “pure gold” open access journals (for an article publishing charge) and SAGE Choice. SAGE Choice lets authors publish in SAGE’s traditional subscription journals, while making their article Open Access (for a fee.) SAGE runs continuous publishing for Open Access articles, meaning that your paper could be published as soon as it is ready.
- Global Dissemination: For many journals, access is limited to researchers based in wealthier countries. To ensure that researchers in poorer parts of the world have access to top-quality research, SAGE has partnered with a number of global initiatives. As well as benefiting researchers in developing countries, this means that your article will be seen by a much wider audience.
You’ve Chosen SAGE: What’s Next?
Have you finally decided to target a SAGE journal for your next article? If so, the next step is to make sure that you have chosen the right journal. SAGE suggests using Think. Check. Submit., a useful online tool for checking that you have selected the best journal for your work.
For researchers in medicine and life sciences, SAGE offers the SAGE Path service. Articles are assessed by a SAGE Editor, who gives advice on the best journal for the article. This service is free and the author does not have to accept the advice.
Once you are sure of your journal choice, the next step is to check the submission guidelines. Each SAGE journal has its own rules, so make sure you get the right ones.
Of course, you will want as many people as possible to read your article. To help you with this, SAGE has some useful guidance on search engine optimizations. This will help you when preparing your manuscript.
Once your article has been accepted and published, it is time to promote it. This can be a team effort between SAGE and the author. First, SAGE has a helpful guide on using social media to promote your article. Next, you might want to look at SAGE’s blogs. SAGE runs several blog sites. There is the Journals Blog, which focuses on recently published research across all SAGE journals. Then there is MethodSpace, an online community for researchers to discuss methods. Finally, SAGE can also help you to prepare a press release for your article with a useful online toolkit.
Furthermore, SAGE partners with Kudos, a free service that helps authors to maximize the impact of their article. You can explain your article with a lay summary, or add extra material such as podcasts or videos. You can also link your social media accounts to Kudos. This allows you to track the impact of your article by seeing how often it is shared, and how many views your Kudos page receives.
Do you still need more information on SAGE? Why not check out their publishing policies? Or perhaps you’d like to consider a different publisher? Good luck with your next step!
Are you thinking about targeting a SAGE journal? Have you published in a SAGE journal and can offer some advice? Share your ideas in the comments below.
