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Evaluate Journals & Publish Your Research

What to consider when choosing where to publish?

Before choosing where to publish your research, you may want to consult journal rankings to find out which journals have more impact and influence in your subject area. Articles in high impact journals are more likely to be cited, and good citation counts are often considered to be important in research.  

But journal rankings do not work well for some subject areas.  Arts and humanities subjects tend to publish more in books, and some disciplines publish more in conference proceedings. Some subject areas have lists of top journals maintained by their professional body.  Check those out if available.

Authors from disciplines poorly served by journal rankings may consider the following characteristics when choosing where to publish. 

  • Type of journal:  academic/ scholarly?  refereed/ peer-reviewed articles?
  • Journal aims and scope: check the journal website, and periodical directories
  • Market-share: intended audience, publication longevity, and how many articles are published each year
  • Indexing: widely indexed articles are more easily found.
  • Status of the editorial board
  • Well-cited articles
  • Influence
  • Circulation count