How to choose a publication for publication in a scientific journal?

After so much effort to produce the perfect article, finding the right scholarly journal to publish it becomes the next big challenge. Which one will show attention to your research? Which one will help to make your work more visible? Which one is focused in your field of study? Choosing the right journal to publish in can be a real challenge, but this step is crucial for academic publication.

Why publish your work?

The expression "publish or perish" may sound familiar to you, since a researcher's recognition and career often depend on the publication of his or her research. But that does not mean that you should take the first chance and publish your research paper in every top journal. From goals to scope, values, and ethics, there are many things to consider before choosing a journal to publish a research article. 

Here's a list of steps you should follow before choosing the right journal to make it easier for you.

• Create a list of journals on your topic;
• Examine the journals on the shortlist and determine their purpose and scope to ensure that your manuscript complies with the guidelines of those journals;
• Check their impact factor;
• Check the reception speed;
• Consult with your senior faculty or professors about this scholarly publication.

Key factors in selecting a journal

Whether your priorities are fast publication, wide geographic reach, or any other options, you can find a number of good suggestions.

Factors to consider when choosing a magazine include:

• The goals and scope of the journal;
• The target audience of the journal and the history of recent publications;
• The significance and attractiveness of the results described in your work;
• The type of research you did;
• How soon you can be published;
• Is there open access to information.

How can I learn more about the journal of my choice?

When publishing scholarly articles, choosing a journal for publication is a strategically important step that allows your work to shine and get the attention of the right people. Thus, this decision should not be made without taking some time to research the best papers available. Be sure to follow these tips to get even closer to publication in the perfect journal for you:

1. Check to see if you can submit an article - some journals can only be accessed by invitation;
2. Use the journal's metrics to understand its impact:

• CiteScore metrics - help measure a journal's impact on citations. Free, comprehensive, transparent and current metrics calculated using data from Scopus, the largest database of abstracts and citations of peer-reviewed literature;
• SJR or SCImago Journal Rank is based on the concept of transferring prestige between journals through their citations;
• SNIP is a complex metric that accounts for differences in citation practices in specific fields;
• JIF, or journal impact factor, is calculated by Clarivate Analytics as the average of the sum of citations received in a given year relative to the previous two years of the journal's publications, divided by the sum of the "cited" publications of the previous two years.

1. If possible, check the Journal Insights for more information on impact, speed, and coverage:

• Impact: the number of citations for the average article in that journal;
• Speed: The average number of weeks it takes for an article to be reviewed. Essentially, this is the average number of weeks it takes for an article to reach key publication points in the production process;
• Coverage: number of downloads at the country/regional level in the last five full years. Number of main corresponding authors at the country/regional level in the last five full years.

Editorial quality of the journal

Editorial quality noted in publications, including editorials, can provide clues to understanding the quality of the journal. Spelling errors, grammatical and punctuation errors, or lack of clarity and coherence in writing indicate a lack of editorial oversight and reviewer commitment. These clues may signal that the journal is not suitable for publication. The titles and abstracts themselves can also indicate the quality of the editorial staff-a title that is not descriptive or an abstract that needs to be read more than once can be a warning sign.

Peer review process

Transparency of the review process is a quality criterion for a journal. A reputable journal will fully disclose the review process, including the criteria used for review, the selection of reviewers, the type of review, the timing, and how the review process is handled by the editorial board.

Additional information, such as how to handle conflicts of interest, confidentiality, and other ethical standards for reviewers, should also be available on the journal's Web site.

Ethics

A quality journal will include information on issues such as plagiarism, conflicts of interest, internal review board approval, informed consent, human and animal research, confidentiality, fraud, ghost authorship, data and image manipulation, and other ethical considerations. The journal should include information about ethics on its Web site, their expectations of authors, and how they address these concerns. 

When your list has shrunk to two or three journals based on the above criteria, rank them as first, second, and third options, depending on your specific needs. After that, it makes sense to start writing a cover letter and submit your manuscript.