The document discusses criteria for selecting the best journal to publish research manuscripts. Key criteria include the journal's impact factor, peer review process, author rights policies, business model, reputation, indexing in databases, scope, ethics guidelines, instructions for authors, and editorial board. Considering these factors will help researchers choose a journal that is a good fit for their research and increases the visibility and reach of their published work.
2. Introduction
Publishing an article in the journal adds to the
academic performance of the researcher. Almost
every researcher desire to publish their research
articles in the reputed journal to ensure that it
reaches maximum readers. Hundreds of journals
are publishing the research article. This article
will throw light on some criteria that will help
you to select the best journal for your manuscript.
3. Criteria for Selecting Journal
There is no straight formula to determine
the best journal to publish your manuscript.
However, analyzing various parameters
may help you to decide the journal that
best suits you for publishing. Following are
some of those criteria:
4. Impact Factor
The impact factor is an important criterion to
determine the importance of the journal. The impact
factor of a journal is the measure of the average
number of citations provided to the articles published
in the last two years in that particular journal. The
impact factor is a scientometric index. The JCR
impact factor is old and effective in providing the
names of high impact journals.
5. Peer Review Process
The peer-review process is important to maintain the
quality of articles. High-quality articles increase the
reputation of journals. The quality journals have a strict
peer-review process. All the details for the peer review
process are available on the website of the journal. The
journal will inform you about the peer review process,
the selection of reviewers, the timeline of the peer-
review process, and handling other information.
6. Right of the Authors
While considering the target journal, also look into the
policies of copyright and other rights mentioned on the
website. High transparency of the journal about these
rights indicates a high quality of the journal. Some
good journals allow the author to have full rights over
their manuscript and permit them to disseminate the
research.
7. Business Model
The business model of the journal should be clearly
stated on the website. All the related cost should be
clearly mentioned, and the author should be surprised
with any fee which was not mentioned. Further, the
name of the sponsors and the mission statement of the
journal should be clearly stated and should be
followed.
8. The Reputation of the Journal
The reputation of the journal should not be seen in
isolation and is viewed through various parameters. It
includes the quality of articles published in the journal,
the society under which the journal is published, the
impact factor, the number of people in your circle
knows about the journal and other factors.
9. Indexing
You should identify whether the journal is indexed in a
reputed database. Indexing in the reputed database
allows the article of the author to reach maximum
readers. Some of the citation databases include
CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Scopus. These
databases list the journal based on various parameters,
and their inclusion increases the reputation of journals.
10. Scope of the Journal
You should get information about the scope of the
journal and the research domain for publishing your
manuscript. Ensure that the scope and aim of the
journal are in a line similar to your research. This will
help you to make information available to your target
readers. Websites of many journals categorically
indicate the domain of research that is not under their
spectrum of publications.
11. Journal Ethics
Ethical issues are important while publishing the
original research. Many journals require detailed
information related to ethical aspects of your research.
These include conflict of interest, informed consent
form, and confidentiality. Good journals are also
concerned about data and conclusion manipulation.
12. Instructions for Authors
You should read and understand the “author
guidelines” in detail. You should target the journal and
make your manuscript according to the requirement of
the journal. Many journals have limited the number of
pages, images, or word count. Check the complete list
of requirements before drafting and submitting the
manuscript.
13. Editors of the Journal
Every good journal has an editorial board comprising
of highly reputed reviewers who have credibility in
their respective domains. The website of the journal
must show the name, position, and contact information
of the editors. In case you require more information
about the editors, communicate with the journal before
submitting your manuscript for peer review.
14. Conclusion
Various factors should be considered before
sending the manuscript for peer review and
subsequent publication. These factors are impact
factor, the peer review process, aim and scope of
the journal, and ethics.
