Publication can be a lengthy process. In addition to locating a journal publishing in your subject area, you may want to consider other criteria, either your own or the journal's. These are a few considerations that may help you in choosing the best outlet for your research.
- Choose a journal or publishing company that best matches your needs and publication criteria. Your needs and publication criteria may vary each time you publish and can change as you develop your publication history.
- Keep in mind that journals with the highest rankings get the most submissions. Typically they will also have the highest rejection rates, have high backlogs, and may take longer for the review/publication process.
- Journal cost may affect how available your research will be. High-cost journals can be cost prohibitive for many libraries, affecting how many readers you may have. Eigenfactor ratings include a cost-effectiveness analysis for journals.
- Open access journals may provide a broader readership, but will usually involve publication fees. Check to see if your school or department will pay for these fees, or if they will be your responsibility.
- Research the reliability of a journal, especially an open access journal, before you agree to publish in order to avoid unethical, or predatory, journals.
- Find an easy checklist of things to consider at Think, Check, Submit.
- Be aware of a journal's copyright policies. These may affect your ability to add your article to an institutional repository or share the article online.
- SHERPA RoMEO is one tool that pulls together publisher copyright & self-archiving policies from a variety of journals.