Selecting a Journal for Publication

It is critical to publish your research in the most appropriate place. You might be guided by different factors as follows.

Grant requirements or requirements for academic degree

Use reference indexes Scopus and Web of Science, citation metrics Journal Citation Reports (JCR) for journals in Web of Science, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) or SCImago by Scopus Journal Rank (SJR) for journals in Scopus. There you will be able to define impact factor or CiteScore; quartile Category (Q1, 2, 3, 4) or percentiles.

Experience

Apply knowledge you have searching for literature review, keeping current literature awareness in the field. You should know the fundamental publications and trends in your research area. You may ask peers, supervisor, librarians.

Other requirements

Use the checklists below to ensure the journal is a reliable publication and avoid publishing in predatory titles. Investigate the journal of interest, check the aims and scope of the journal, editorial criteria and processes, acceptance rate and average time from submission to publication.

If in trouble you may try suggestion tools offered by the publishers. However, it is recommended to double check all the details on a journal before submission.

• Journal is indexed in Web of Science, Scopus, and Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) for Open Access journals. The databases allow you to select journals by impact within the subject, compare and get evidence of their reliability.
• Journal is recommended by the Committee for Quality Assurance in the Field of Science and Higher Education of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (MSHE RK) (applies only for Kazakhstani researchers)
• Journal has a defined peer-review process and editorial board.
• Article topic suits the journal's subject and the target audience.
• Type of publications in a journal is clear (traditional, open access).
• You are able to find information for authors, acceptance or rejection rate of a journal.
• Published articles are well cited.

Normally, you can find this information on a journal's website. See example of For example of Wiley journal Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies.

When you enter into a publishing agreement, it’s crucial to be aware of the rights you are keeping and the rights you are transferring to the publisher. As the author, you typically retain the copyright to your work, which allows you to control how it’s used. However, by signing the publishing agreement, you may grant the publisher specific rights, such as the right to reproduce, distribute, and display your article in their journal, often in exchange for royalties or visibility. It’s important to understand the scope of these rights, including whether they are exclusive or non-exclusive, as well as the duration of the agreement. Authors should also check if they are allowed to share their work elsewhere (such as on personal websites or institutional repositories) or if any restrictions apply. The publisher may also have the right to alter the article, including formatting or editing, in line with their publishing guidelines. 

Publishing in open access, you will normally chose among Creative commons licenses. With CC licenses you retain the copyright in your work and  can grant usage permissions on an individual basis. Read more about types of licenses and how to use them in  Copyright libguide.