How should I select a journal for publishing my manuscript?
I am trying to identify a good journal for publishing my PhD-related (ongoing) work. Please help me. Thanks!
Thanks for getting in touch with Enago Academy regarding your query.
The first step towards selecting your target journal would be to list down potential journals you could publish your work in. You could look at journals that you referred to while carrying out your research work. You also need to ensure that your shortlisted journals are authentic, by checking if they are listed in the various popular abstracting and indexing services.
Next you would have to go through details of each of these journals and check if their aims and scope meet that of your paper. If they don’t, strike them out from your list.
Once you have shortlisted a few journals. The next step would be to learn a little more about these journals by checking for the ranking in comparison to other journals in your field. You could analyze the various available citation metrics and further decide on your preference.
Another thing that you need to keep in mind while shortlisting your journal would be the accessibility of the journal- is it an open access or subscription based journal? Is it an international or localized journal? Does it target a wide audience or a niche audience? etc.
In today’s age, when there are thousands of paper published in any given month, visibility of your work is of utmost importance. You need to check the kind of support your journal offers to increase the visibility of your work. A lot of journals nowadays offer authors support with social media promotions of their published manuscript. If your target journal does not offer such a service, look for another journal that would support you even after your paper is published.
Lastly, once you have finalized your journal, go through the instruction for authors and check if you would be able to meet all the specified criteria. If yes, you can safely go ahead with publishing your manuscript in this journal.
You could also seek professional help for your journal selection from Enago’s Journal Selection service. We will help you maximize your chances of publication by matching you with the most appropriate journals for your particular research and requirements.
