How-to · Step-by-step
How to choose a journal
Choosing the right journal means matching your paper to a venue by scope, audience, indexing and access model — while screening out predatory titles that exploit authors.
The step most authors miss
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Step by step
How to do it
1.Check scope and fit
Read the journal’s aims and scope and skim its recent articles to judge whether your topic, methods and contribution belong there. A paper rejected on scope grounds wastes months, so honest fit is the first filter. Note the article types the journal accepts and the level and angle its published work takes.
2.Consider the audience and reach
Decide who you most need to reach — a broad multidisciplinary readership or a specialist community — and choose a journal whose audience matches. Check where the journal is indexed (for example Web of Science, Scopus or field-specific databases), since indexing strongly affects who will discover and cite your work.
3.Weigh metrics in context
Journal metrics such as the impact factor, CiteScore or quartile can inform your choice, but read them as one signal among several and within the right subject category. Heed DORA’s caution against treating journal-level metrics as a measure of your work’s quality, and balance prestige against realistic fit and acceptance prospects.
4.Compare open-access options and costs
Determine the access model: subscription, fully open access with an article-processing charge, or hybrid. Check whether your funder or institution mandates open access or has an agreement that covers fees, and confirm the licence (such as CC BY) the journal applies. Make sure any charges and your rights are clear before committing.
5.Screen for predatory journals
Predatory journals charge fees while providing little or no genuine peer review or editorial service. Use the Think. Check. Submit. checklist: verify the publisher’s identity and contact details, the editorial board, indexing claims, peer-review process and fee transparency, and check membership of bodies such as COPE, DOAJ or OASPA. When in doubt, do not submit.
6.Shortlist and decide
Draw up two or three well-matched journals ranked by fit, reach and feasibility, and submit to the strongest first — only ever one at a time. If it is rejected, the feedback usually helps you tailor the paper to the next journal on your list, so keep the shortlist ready before you submit.
Common questions
FAQ
What is a predatory journal and how do I avoid one?+
A predatory journal charges publication fees while offering little or no real peer review or editorial service, exploiting authors and damaging the record. Avoid them by running the Think. Check. Submit. checks: confirm the publisher’s identity, editorial board, genuine peer-review process, transparent fees and verifiable indexing, and look for membership of COPE, DOAJ or OASPA.
Should I choose a journal by its impact factor?+
Use the impact factor as one factor, not the deciding one. It is a journal-level average skewed by a few highly cited papers and varies by field, so compare within the right subject category and quartile. DORA explicitly warns against using journal metrics to judge individual research, so weigh scope fit, audience and reach alongside any metric.
How do I find journals that fit my paper?+
Start from the journals you already cite, since they reach your topic’s readership, and read their aims and scope. Browse the relevant subject categories in indexing databases, look at where similar recent papers appeared, and ask experienced colleagues. Confirm each candidate’s legitimacy with Think. Check. Submit. before adding it to your shortlist.
Going deeper
