Agree.... i need an answer too

this problem relates to the evolution of social networks, etc. and relatively high mass of publications.

Also, editors make it a business!

As a young researcher, I use Impact Factor to select where to publish my work because it is one of the best ways to screen against scrappy publications. I study environmental organic chemistry, I keep a list of journals I can publish. I will try to answer your questions:

1. Young researchers are confused and don't know how to select a good journal.

This is the reason why predatory and fake journals thrive. If a journal is listed on SCOPUS with an Impact Factor verifiable from Clariviate, then we don't have to worry much if it's genuine.

2. Reaching international audience

Publishing in high impact factor journals guarantees your work will reach wide audience. That's why Nature and Science are popular. Even though impact factor is faulty in establishing quality of research, it helps your paper to have credibility.

3. Important indicators in journal selection

I don't want to publish my work in a journal that has no editorial and publishing services. Neither will I send my paper to a journal where the editor is the only reviewer. I want reviewers to point out the weaknesses in my paper. I want a journal that makes my paper better.

4. Having an Editor in Chief collaborator

In good journals, your friend won't handle your paper - conflict of interest. High impact factor journals have editorial boards with skilled people devoted to safeguard the quality of research published by the journal. But you can find low quality research in Nature or Science, but how often?

5. Low quality journals

How do you determine a journal is low quality without using Impact Factor?

Check a recent discussion on it:

https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_your_idea_about_Nobel_Laureates_speak_out_against_the_role_of_impact_factors_in_research

1 How to reach international audience?

I will second Edmond with this point that Publishing in high impact factor journals guarantees your work will reach wide audience. That's why Nature and Science are popular. Even though impact factor is faulty in establishing quality of research, it helps your paper to have credibility.

2 Which indicators are more important?

Impact Factor???

Impact factor is commonly used to evaluate the relative importance of a journal within its field and to measure the frequency with which the “average article” in a journal has been cited in a particular time period. Journal which publishes more review articles will get highest IFs. Journals with higher IFs believed to be more important than those with lower ones.

The journal with the highest IF is the one that published the most commonly cited articles over a 2-year period. The IF applies only to journals, not to individual articles or individual scientists unlike the “H-index.” The relative number of citations an individual article receives is better evaluated as “citation impact.”

Quality- Quantity of data/research work?

Quality of data/research work is also important as it will finally help Science/Scientists.

3 Are there journals that receives payment and publish low quality work?

There are many but fake journals are also there to deceive you. So researcher should double check such journal for their originality if he/they think that research work is worth of low quality.

4 Or if you have a Chief editor friend (collaborator) in a high impact journal, you could easily publish low quality research work in that journal?

Yes unfortunately it prevails in some cases.

How to reach international audience?

I will endorse Edmond's points regarding this.

Which indicators are more important?

Impact Factor???

Yes it is important, as above we are saying that Big Names (journals) have more audience etc so definitely I.F plays an important role for your research worth.

Quality- Quantity of data/research work?

Quality as well as quantity matters......as quality give you new and novel work and on the other side, quantity gives accuracy of your research work

Data presentation???

I will suggest that data presentation is more important as compare to above point of quality and quantity (for me)

Or if you have a Chief editor friend (collaborator) in a high impact journal, you could easily publish low quality research work in that journal?

Obviously, it works :P

While impact factor is an important factor, i.e. higher impact factor indicates large audience, it is not the only important factor to consider. You need to consider what is important to you? In some cases your paper may be communicating a message to a certain targeted audience. Now you need to ask yourself whether you are reaching to the TARGETED audience when selecting a journal. Open access is one of the methods that is being used to increase your audience. Good publishers such as PLOS ONE are getting much higher citations than before due to open access because their work is accessible. I foresee, not far into the future, open access journals will surpass most high end journals on impact factor due to accessibility of their work. Also in some cases your paper could be addressing a regional research question, and such a paper may be best placed in a regional journal. In short, the impact factor might look enticing but it is important to consider other factors like your desired audience and accessibility. Remember an impact factor is just a measure of average citations a paper in the journal receives. However your own impact is sometimes more important; and it is measured by how many citations you receive. Therefore if your paper is reaching the right audience, it will likely receive more citations. More-so if it is open access! Food for thought :-)