Part II: Identifying Appropriate Scholarly Journals

It’s All in the Details

The Nuances of Journal Characteristics

So now you’ve narrowed the field of prospective journals based on their impact factors and reach, and entered the details into your journal profile form. Here are a few other details you might want to consider as you assess the appropriateness of a journal for your publishing project²:

• Is the journal indexed by key abstracting services in your field?
• What is the journal’s acceptance/rejection rate? What is the likelihood that your paper will be accepted for publication?
• How long does it take to process a manuscript? Will you have to wait months or even years for your paper to wend its way through the review and publishing process?
• Are there submission fees, page charges, or reprint charges?

After you have entered this additional information for each journal into your profile form, take a look at all the data you have gathered. At this point, you should be able to identify at least two or three good journal candidates for publishing your research. Now what? It’s time to make contact with journal editors!

page 15 of 20

• Introduction
• Module 1
  Overview of Scholarly Journal Publishing
  Module 1
  Overview of Scholarly Journal Publishing
  Publish or Perish The Scope and Purpose of this Tutorial Taking Your Place in the History of Scholarship Self Assessment Description of a Scholarly Journal An Overview of the Scholarly Publishing Process Roles in Scholarly Publishing Conflicts Among the Players Changing Business Models in Scholarly Publishing The Open Access Model Open Access Business Models The Impact of OA on Authors Types of Articles You can Propose and Publish Collaboration and its Discontents The Responsibilities of Authorship Managing Your Citations Learning About the World in which You Write Get Yourself a Mentor and a Friend Scholarly Publishing is a Long-distance Run What do You Know?
• Module 2
  Laying the Groundwork: Ideas, Journal Research & Queries
  Module 2
  Laying the Groundwork: Ideas, Journal Research & Queries
  Objectives Preparing to Publish - Idea Generation KISS: Keep It Simple; Streamline! Quiz: Are you a KISS-er? Discover Your Next Article Focus Your Ideas Identify Appropriate Scholarly Journals Consult Disciplinary Journal Guides Review Reference Lists and Bibliographies Use Academic Journal Indices Talk to Your Colleagues Balancing Impact with Acceptance Rates Measuring Impact Circulation Figures The Nuances of Journal Characteristics Journal Queries Sending a Query Response Times and Next Steps Progress with Profiling Concept Review
• Module 3
  Deadlines & Details - Manuscript Prep & Submission
  Module 3
  Deadlines & Details - Manuscript Prep & Submission
  Objectives The Research Context Searching the Literature Resources for Searching the Literature The Literature Search as a Non-Linear Process Recording and Organizing Your Information The Writing Process: Overview and Tips Practical Elements of the Writing Process University of Colorado Writing Centers Writing Resources on the Web Understanding Your Disciplinary Style Ethical Issues in Research and Writing Avoiding Plagiarism Other Ethical Pitfalls Using Human Subjects and Animals in Research Attribution of Authorship Obtaining Permission to Use Copyrighted Material Following Instructions for Authors Next Steps: Colleague Review Submitting Your Manuscript Manuscript Checklist Summary and Review
• Module 4
  From Good to Great - The Editorial Process
  Module 4
  From Good to Great - The Editorial Process
  Objectives Submitting a Manuscript Types of Peer Review Masked and Open Reviews The Care and Management of Manuscripts Making the Cut Entering the Review Zone Peer Review Quiz Reviewer Considerations in Evaluating Manuscripts Waiting for Responses Making the Most of In-Between Times What to Expect When You're Expecting Feedback Rejection is Never Fun Requests for Resubmission with Revisions Revision, Revision, Revision Resubmitting your Manuscript You've Been Accepted! Now What? The Production Process Creating Your 'Need to Know' List The A to Z of the Review and Editorial Process
• Module 5
  Making it Yours - Customizing Your Publishing Plan
  Module 5
  Making it Yours - Customizing Your Publishing Plan
  Objectives From Overwhelmed to on Top of it All Identify Where You Want to Go Of Index Cards and Spiral Notebooks Low-Tech Solutions Going for Technology Best Practices in Sustaining Creative Development Continuing Your Education Mastering Scholarly Publishing