It is not uncommon for a researcher to have this one special journal he/she dreams to publish his/her research paper in. Although most times these dreams come crashing down for various reasons that may remain unknown to the researcher for a very long time. The journey to publication is a very long and tiring one, and the added heartbreak of being rejected by a/several journal/s can rattle the confidence of even the seasoned researchers. And, these heartbreaks happen far more often than it should because journal selection is one of the least understood aspect of publication Submitting your research paper to a journal that is not best-suited for it is one of the most common yet one of the biggest mistakes most authors make. Most new researchers don’t have a clue of the variety of journals that publish research papers in their field. And even if they do know, they usually take a misinformed decision when selecting the journal because of a certain amount of obscurity that exists regarding the journal selection process. Here are the criteria that you should be considering when selecting a journal for your research paper. Scope and aims of the journal: You will find this information on the journal’s homepage on the link named “About us.” The reason why you should read up on this section first is because it will tell you if the journal caters to your subject area and your target audience. Previously published paper: It is also wise to search the journal for previously published papers and check if they are similar to your work or from your subject area. Using your keywords or title to search the journal will tell you if your dream journal should be your target journal or not. Journal restrictions: If your research paper overflows the limits of a journal’s requirements, then it only ascertains the chances of rejection of your research paper. Therefore, educate yourself regarding the journal’s restrictions usually mentioned in the section “information for authors.” Impact factor: Although the ranking of journals based on its impact factor is controversial, it is indeed a tempting proposition to get your research paper published in a high impact journal. But, it is also essential for you to objectively evaluate if your research paper is appropriate for top-tier journals. Your budget: Most journals charge authors a submission or publication fees. You must select a journal depending on the depth of your pocket and your willingness to spend. If the publication process is financially supported by your grant/trust then this might not be a major concern, but if you have to spend the money yourself then make sure you make a wise (neither extravagant nor stingy) choice. If this process seems inexplicably exhausting after several exhaustive processes such as conducting your research and writing it down, then you can seek professional advice from your supervisor or professional academic editing and proofreading services that provide journal selection support services. You also have tools such as www.journalguide.com, which researchers can use to evaluate and compare various journals they are interested in. The tool not only allows you to search academic journals based on their names, categories, and publisher but also allow you to search using your research paper’s title in order to help you see which journals have published topic similar to yours. However, the support provided by manuscript editing and proofreading companies also offering journal selection services is extensive. They recommend 5-6 journals for publication and provide a detailed report explaining why the journals recommended are a best match for your research paper. They also provide after service support.
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