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Choosing a Journal
How do I narrow down the list of possible journals?
Analyze the text of your title and abstract with a journal matching tool. Tools like JANE or Clarivate’s Manuscript Matcher suggest journals based on a text-matching search.
You can also search Web of Science, Scopus, or PubMed to find similar articles in your topic area or contact the library for assistance.
What should I consider when choosing a journal?
- Will your manuscript fit the journals audience? Review the journals scope or mission statement.
- Does the journal accept the publication type you are writing? (i.e., case report, short communication, original research)
- Do your colleagues agree with you on which journal to submit to? All co-authors should be on the same page when selecting a journal.
Use SPI-Hub to review the author guidelines of journals you are considering.
Is the journal reputable?
If you answer no to any of the following questions, you may want to investigate the journal further.
- Do you or your colleagues know the journal? Is this a journal you read regularly?
- Does the journal indexed in major indexes like Medline and/or the Directory of Open Access Journals?
- Does the journal have an impact factor? If so, can you verify the impact factor in the JCR database?
- Please note that not every journal will have an impact factor.
- Is the journal clear about their article processing charges and peer-review policies?
Are you having trouble determining if a journal is predatory? Use the library's journal assessment tool.
Is the journal discoverable?
Be sure to verify that the journal you select is indexed in major databases where you search regularly. For instance, is the journal fully indexed in PubMed?
Search the NLM Catalog to learn whether the journal is indexed for MEDLINE or PubMed. If you are unsure, ask a librarian for assistance. Note that new journals and those outside the scope of biomedical and life sciences may not be included.
Should I choose an open access or subscription-based journal?
When choosing a journal, authors should review the journal's subscription model. Traditionally, subscription-based journals allow authors to submit their manuscripts for free. In exchange for free submission, authors must sign over copyright ownership to the publisher and pay the journal to view and share their own content. In addition, these publishers charge readers to access the journal content.
In contrast, open access journals require authors to pay an upfront fee. Authors retain their copyright ownership over the published content, and authors and readers can access and share the journal content for free.
Does the library provide publication discounts?
The Research Medical Library is committed to providing support for open access publishing in high-quality, peer-reviewed journals. The library team has established several Read & Publish agreements, also known as transformative agreements, which allow MD Anderson authors to publish in Open Access journals at no cost to MD Anderson authors. Please review available discounts on our open access discounts page.
Quick Video (3:42)
Is this Journal Reputable?
Video (43:12)
What is an Impact Factor?
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