What you will achieve
Select a target journal.
Prerequisites:
- None, but is recommended to know who’s in your writing team.
Choosing a journal
Step 1: Assess potential options
Make a list of potentially relevant journals:
- Look at the literature you’ve read/used so far for your journal article.
- Find journals that publish work similar to yours.
- Ask your peers where they publish their work.
- Ask your writing team for suggestions.
- Consider: who needs to read this?
Step 2: Evaluate the journals
For each journal on your list, check:
- Aims and scope: Does the journal explicitly publish work like yours? (Skim the last 12 months of issues.)
- Paper types: Does it accept the type of paper you intend to write (original article, review, brief communication, methods paper)?
- Word limits and structure: Can your planned study fit within the typical article length?
- Audience: Will the readers care about your problem?
- Timeline: If you have a deadline, is the review turnaround realistic?
Journal scopes
A simple rule of thumb:
- Broad-scope journals: Readers span fields. You need to justify why your problem matters to non-specialists, and the novelty bar is high (e.g. Nature, Science).
- Specialised journals: Readers are already in your field. You can focus on technical details and nuanced debates, but the audience is smaller.
Step 3: Choose a target journal
Based on your evaluation, pick the single best-fit journal. Then confirm the choice with your writing team to avoid disagreements later on.
Avoid predatory journals
Predatory journals have poor reputations due to inadequate peer review. Publishing in one can damage your credibility. Check for predatory journals on Beall’s list or ask your institution’s librarian.