Finding a Journal for Your Article
From Your Reading
First, think of the journals that you read personally.
Suggestions from Colleagues
In addition to giving you feedback, such as on structure and writing, colleagues may be able to suggest a suitable journal to submit to.
Your Reference List
The references you have used to inform your own work are an excellent place to look for potential journals to submit your paper to. It is highly likely that the journals which published the articles you cited, particularly those which were fundamental to the theory or methodology of your project, will have aims and scope that are relevant to your own paper.
However, this may not always be the case. As well as reviewing the aims and scope of those journals, we recommend considering a wider range of characteristics in your journal comparison spreadsheet.
Indexing Databases
You can also use indexing databases such as Google Scholar and Scimago.
Indexing databases all use some kind of inclusion criteria, with Google Scholar having the most lenient requirements (based on technical standards only). From databases like Web of Science and Scopus, you can expect editorial standards, citation profiling, and selective decisions. In addition to these criteria, field-related databases will have subject-specific criteria and characteristics.
These platforms all vary in the journals they include and the search and filtering options they offer, collections which help you identify articles and journals of interest. You can quickly make a list of journals from these databases to begin investigating further. Using advanced search and filtering functions on these platforms can help you fine-tune your lists. By using keywords and limiting the publication years to the most recent two or three, this will help you identify relevant journals which are currently publishing articles in your field.
Many platforms enable you to use Open Access as a filter, which is helpful if you have specific needs in this area. You can also search the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), ROAD and Science Open.
Publisher Websites
Most large multi-journal publishers provide some searching and filtering functionality in their websites, usually by keyword.
Instructions for Authors
Failure to comply with Instructions for Authors sits alongside Aims and Scope as the top reason articles are rejected from journals. This is usually because the first editorial check is for these features - the structure, formatting, word count, etc. It is an all too common hurdle over which authors fall, and can result in what is known as a desk-reject.
Complying with these instructions is one of the most frustrating aspects of journal submission, as there are many differences in requirements between publishers and journals. Should you need to submit to subsequent journals after your first, the different instructions can result in significant time being spent on reformatting.
However, it is important to comply with these instructions, as some journals, particularly those which receive large numbers of submissions and need a ‘filter’ to reduce the papers that must be handled, can be very strict on enforcing them. The strictest journals may not even allow a re-submission to correct any non-compliant formatting, so do be careful.
The Instructions for Authors pages should include broad information on aspects such as article type, study type, word limits, abstract structure, and the blinding requirements of submissions (whether you must remove all name and institutional information, so you cannot be identified by reviewers).
After this, there may be some more granular detailed requirements for features such as reference style, titling and presentation of modular elements of the paper such as Introduction, Methods, Results, use of units of measurements, abbreviation, statistics and data presentation, formatting and style of figures and tables, and more.
Some journals may provide a template for manuscripts, which can greatly help for structuring and formatting your papers. These may be a word doc, or a LaTeX editing template through platforms such as Overleaf or Authorea.
Look for and note down the formatting requirements for each article type that the journal considers, such as empirical research, brief articles, or review articles. There are many types of articles, and different terminology used for each type, so make sure the journal accepts the type of paper you are writing and that you have formatted it as requested.
We recommend you look at the JAMA Network Open's Instructions for Authors. This is a medical journal, but features a very thorough and well-structured Instructions for Authors section, which will give you insight into the requirements which may be asked when you submit your manuscripts.
