According to an estimate, more than 70,000 research journals exist, growing at a rate of about 3.5% per year. More than 1,000 new journals were launched in 2014 alone. These numbers can make journal selection a daunting task. However, you can get help from various online tools to narrow down your search for the appropriate journal.
Find the Right Journal
One of the first steps in choosing the right journal is to know its scope and aim. This information is usually available on the journal’s website. It will also help you find the kind of articles the journal is interested in publishing. You can also read some of the articles the journal has published. Is there any similarity between those articles and your own manuscript? If not, it might not be the right journal for you.
You can also get information from your literature review. Look for journals, wherein the papers you cited have been published. It is likely that those journals may also be interested in your work. This approach can be helpful when journal’s scope does not give you enough details to decide whether that journal would be the right fit for your manuscript.
Related: Having difficulty finding the right open access journal? Check out the OAJF tool now!
You should also consider how long a journal takes to publish articles. With some journals, there can be a considerable delay between submission and publication. Your choice of the journal can also depend on the type of the audience you want to reach out. Based on your requirements, you may also look for a journal with broad scope, wider target audience and an online presence.
Platforms at a Glance
There are many tools and platforms for researchers to help them in their search for the right journal. Few of them are:
- Think.Check.Submit: It is a campaign to help researchers identify trusted journals for their research. The first step is to answer the starter questions that makes you “think” about your target journal. In the second step, you are linked to a “check” list of criteria. It is an effective way to filter out predatory journals in your selection process. In the end, you may “submit” your paper.
- Scopus: It is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature such as scientific journals, books, and conference proceedings. It provides a comprehensive overview of the world’s research output in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, arts, and humanities. Scopus has indexed journals from more than 5,000 publishers. In order to be listed in Scopus, the journal must be approved by an independent advisory board. This process means that of almost 3,500 suggested journals per year, only about 750 will be added to Scopus.
- FindMyJournal: It helps researchers select the most appropriate journal to publish their manuscript. It uses a mathematical and objective algorithm to shortlist the best-matched journals. You can start your search by answering eleven questions. It currently, has over 29,000 journals in its database.
- DOAJ: It is considered to be the most authentic database of open access journals. Launched in 2003 at Lund University, Sweden, and contains ~9,000 open access journals covering all areas of science, technology, medicine, social science, and humanities.
Final Word
Journal selection can be intimidating. There are thousands of active research journals. Choosing the right one can involve researching the scope of the journals you are interested in. The process has been made easier by research tools. Scopus and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) can help you find legitimate journals. ThinkCheckSubmit can also help you avoid predatory publishers. FindMyJournal can almost automate the selection for you. With all these tools, the selection process can be streamlined.
Have you used any of these or other platforms in your search for the right journals? Do share your experience with us by leaving a comment below!
