There are some common criteria you should consider when choosing a journal to publish in. Once you have a publication strategy in place, choose journals that meet all of your criteria.

1. How to choose journals for submitting your paper
Helping you get published

2. How to choose journals for submitting your paper
It is crucial that you select a peer-reviewed journal which will
present your research in the best way and convey it to the right
target audience. And of course, the list of journals you have
published in can directly and indirectly affect you career
advancement, professional reputation, and funding opportunities.
Given below are several criteria that we have found to be the most
important in accurately selecting a peer-reviewed journal for
manuscript submission.

3. How to choose journals for submitting your paper
Is there a match between the subject of your article and the journal's aim and scope?
1 The most common yet avoidable reason for journal rejection is mismatch
between the manuscript and the journal aims and scope. 1
First and foremost, determine whether the subject matter of your article
matches that of the journal. Consider the sort of research that the
journal focuses on. Is it theoretical (e.g., Acta Biotheoretica) or applied
(e.g., Annals of Applied Biology)? Is the range of articles sought by the
journal broad-based or very narrow in focus?
Journals are usually very specific about their subject area. Within the
subject area also, the journal may focus only on a particular aspect of
that subject. For example, Histopathology and The Journal of Pathology
are two much respected journals which focus on different aspects of the
same subject, namely, pathology. Histopathology is intended to be of
practical value to surgical and diagnostic histopathologists, while the
Journal of Pathology contains articles about the pathophysiological and
pathogenetic mechanisms of human disease.

4. How to choose journals for submitting your paper
Is there a match between the subject of your article and the journal's aim and scope?
1 The most common yet avoidable reason for journal rejection is mismatch
between the manuscript and the journal aims and scope. 1
Finally, confirm that the journal accepts the article type you
intend to submit. For example, if your paper is a case study,
check that the journal publishes case reports. Submission to a
journal that does not accept the type of article you’ve written
gives you an almost 100% chance that the manuscript will be
rejected.

5. How to choose journals for submitting your paper
2 What is the readership and target audience?
The following factors should be assessed:
Multidisciplinary journal. If, for example, your paper could have
a bearing on public policy or could change the way nurses handle
patient care, then choose a broad-based journal that reaches a
wide and non-technical audience.
Specialty journal. If your paper is highly specialized or technical,
you’ll do better to publish in a journal with a small but very
specific target audience. Reaching the right readership can
sometimes be more important than reaching a wide readership.
How popular is the journal among your peers? Talking to
established colleagues will help you assess whether the journal is
widely read among your peers.

6. The impact factor and other measures of journal prestige
3 Is the journal highly visible?
Once your paper is published, it should be easy to find by other
researchers. Journal visibility plays an important role in this
regard.
1.Is the journal included in electronic databases? Is the journal
indexed in ISI’s Web of Science? Is it indexed in the popular
subject-specific databases in your field (like EconLit or
PsychINFO)? This improves the visibility of your research in your
chosen field of research and may also increase the number of
times your article is cited.
2.Is the journal available online? Publishing in journals that are
only circulated in print can seriously limit the number of people
coming across or reading your work.

7. How to choose journals for submitting your paper
4 What is the “CV value of publication”?
Some authors put a premium on journal prestige. Here are some factors to consider.
1. Editorial board members. Prestigious journals usually have
eminent researchers as members of their Editorial Board. Visit
the journal website to check the names on the Editorial Board.
Are the Board members well-known in your field of study?
2. Journal sponsorship. Is the journal owned or sponsored by a
prestigious society in your field?
3. What is the journal's impact factor? Don’t just look at the
actual impact factor, since impact factor values vary by field.
Consider the impact factor relative to those of similar journals
within your field.
4. Talk to senior, established colleagues. Which journals do they
regularly read? Which journals do they feel have a high
standard of articles?

8. How to choose journals for submitting your paper
5 What is the journal’s turnaround time?
Peer review period. How many issues does the journal publish in
a year? A monthly journal is much more likely to review your
article quickly compared with a journal that only publishes once a
year. Some journals list the date submitted and date accepted.
Comparing these dates will give an approximate idea of the
turnaround time.
Publication delay. If the journal has an online edition, does it post
accepted articles online there once approved for publication? If
so, this means that your article will be published online soon after
it is accepted (and for practical purposes, will be considered as a
published paper), even if it appears in print much later. For those
looking to publish in a whirlwind (less than two months), open
access may be the best option.

9. How to choose journals for submitting your paper
Checklist
No. Checklist Yes No
1 Does the subject of your article match the journal's subject focus?
2 Does the journal accept the article type you intend to submit?
3 Is the journal read by your target audience?
4 Is the journal included in bibliographic and subject-specific
databases?
5 Does the journal have an online edition?
6 Is the journal's impact factor in line with your requirements?
7 Is the journal regarded as a prestigious one in its field by
colleagues and peers?
Click here to download the PDF version of the checklist

10. How to choose journals for submitting your paper
Checklist
No. Checklist Yes No
8 What is the turnaround time for articles submitted to the
journal?
9 How many times a year is the journal published?
10 What are the publication charges?
11 Is the length and structure of your manuscript acceptable
to the journal?
Click here to download the PDF version of the checklist

11. How to choose journals for submitting your paper
Conclusion
Carefully selecting the journal to which to submit your manuscript greatly reduces the
chances of rejection of your work. Once you have taken a preliminary decision on the
journal, read the Instructions to Authors to discover the limitations imposed by the
journal in the form of article format, word count, citation styles, photograph
specifications, publication costs, etc. This will help you make a final decision.

12. How to choose journals for submitting your paper
Bibliography
1. Ali J (2010). Manuscript rejection: Causes and remedies. Journal of Young
Pharmacists, 2(1): 3-6. doi: 10.4103/0975-1483.62205.
2. Schultz DM (2010). Rejection rates for journals publishing in the atmospheric sciences.
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 91(2): 231-43. doi:
10.1175/2009BAMS2908.1.
3. Aarssen LW, Tregenza T, Budden AE, Lortie CJ, Koricheva J, Leimu R (2008). Bang for
your buck: Rejection rates and impact factors in ecological journals. The Open Ecology
Journal, 1(1): 14-19. doi: 10.2174/1874213000801010014.

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