LibGuides: Where to Publish Your Research: Choosing the Right Journal

Criteria to Consider

Now that you're able to locate potential journals in which to publish, the next step is to evaluate those journals for quality.

Here are three questions to ask yourself when considering a journal:

How does this journal rank in comparison to other journals?
What are the acceptance rates of this journal?
What is the availability of this journal?

This page will provide you with resources to help answer all three of these questions.

Rank

It is important to determine how the journal you're considering ranks in comparison to other journals since this can directly affect author impact.

Remember, the higher the ranking, the more influential the journal.

Listed belows are tools that can help determine a journal's ranking.

CiteScore CiteScore is based on the number of citations to documents (articles, reviews, conference papers, book chapters, and data papers) by a journal over four years, divided by the number of the same document types indexed in Scopus and published in those same four years.
eigenFACTOR Search Eigenfactor to find a journal's Eigenfactor Score and Article Influence Score. These scores measure a journal's importance to the scientific community and the impact of its articles using Journal Citation Reports data.
SCImago Journal and Country Rank Search SCImago to view the rankings of scientific journals. Based on data from Scopus.

Acceptance Rates

Journals with lower acceptance rates are generally considered more prestigious. Listed below are tools that can help determine the acceptance rates of a journal. If you cannot find the acceptance rate of a journal by using these tools, try viewing the journal's website or contacting the editor directly.

APA Journal Statistics and Operations Data The APA provides information about manuscript rejection rates, circulation data, publication lag time, and other journal statistics. The reports usually run a year or two behind.
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education AACE's Journal and Conference Submission Review Policy, Acceptance Rates, and Indices
Cabell's Cabell's is a good resource for finding acceptance rates and other pertinent information about journals in various disciplines.
MLA Directory of Periodicals The MLA Directory of Periodicals offers detailed information on over 7,100 journals, with 4,400 currently indexed in the International Bibliography. The detailed entries include editorial contact information, as well as frequency, circulation, subscription prices and submission guidelines.

Journal Availability

Cost and distribution can influence the availability of a journal. In general, the more expensive the journal the less available it will be.

Directory of Open Access Journals Publishing in an Open Access Journal will make your article available to a wider audience. However, be aware of the pros and cons of open access before publishing.
Ted Bergstrom's Journal Pricing Page Provides information about journal prices and links to additional journal pricing studies.

Articles on Journal Selection and Evaluation

The following articles will provide you with detailed guidelines on how to choose and evaluate journals for quality.

How to Choose a Target Journal Article from Springer on how to choose an appropriate journal in which to publish.
How to Publish Your Journal Paper (APA) Tips from the American Psychological Association on how to publish your paper.
Journal Quality Evaluation Research Guide from the University of Houston Downtown that provides additional tips and resources on evaluating journal quality.
The Web of Science Journal Selection Process Learn how Web of Science evaluates journals for quality and selection.
MEDLINE Journal Selection Learn how MEDLINE evaluates journals for quality and selection.