A common problem for new and young scientists is how to identify a good journal for submitting research papers. How can this problem be managed?
Impact factors, reputation of recent authors, and reputation of the editor are all helpful for considering outlets. Something I tell new researchers is that if a journal asks for money and wants to print your paper within a week of submission then it's a predatory journal, which they should avoid. Predatory journals like to seek out new researchers as soon as they have a conference paper, so it's important to tell warn them about predatory journals early on.
Impact factors, reputation of recent authors, and reputation of the editor are all helpful for considering outlets. Something I tell new researchers is that if a journal asks for money and wants to print your paper within a week of submission then it's a predatory journal, which they should avoid. Predatory journals like to seek out new researchers as soon as they have a conference paper, so it's important to tell warn them about predatory journals early on.
Every researcher ought to know the leading scholars in his/her discipline; therefore, you can find out where they publish their papers. This is one of the ways to know good journals. You can also ask senior colleagues to guide you. You can check Reuter's Web of Science to see the listing of journals (with or without impact factor). Lastly, as Stephanie advised, never be in a hurry to publish, otherwise you will fall into the hands of predatory journals.
Ask the more senior colleagues within your field for advise on this issue. If one or two journals turn up more often in your list of references, then that might be an indication that those journals take kindly to the subject you are writing on. Check their web sites and read their editorial statements to make sure that they mention your field among the key ones. If this is the case, and the journal overall appears to be a good one - then you probably have found it!
It would be advisable to see who is publishing the journal and find out if it is indexed by leading databases . Impact factor also helps in assessing the quality of the publication . Also browse the terms and conditions which are explicit and given to the authors. The process adopted for publication also reflects a lot on the quality of the journal . Ensure that the journal considers the domain of knowledge in which the paper is submitted.
Impact factor as already mentioned helped in terms of determining quality of the publication. The young researcher will also need to work with experienced colleagues who would have published in journal articles. To start with, it is also a good thing for young researcher to work collaboratively or consider working in partnership with experienced professionals for their first publication.
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