LibGuides: Open Access Publishing: Selecting a Journal

Things consider when choosing a journal:

Identify journals you frequently cite in your own work

Browse journals by subject in a relevant database

Check where your colleagues or professors are publishing

Decide whether you want to publish in an open access journal.

Define your target audience — international or local

Review the journal’s turnaround time and publication frequency - Understanding these details is useful if you’re working with a deadline and need your paper published sooner.

Use journal selection tools to get recommendations (see Journal Finder Tools)

Journal Evaluation Checklist

Read the journal’s aims, scope, and target audience

Check the journal’s peer-review process

Look up the journal’s impact factor and check which databases index the journal

Find out about publication fees or other costs

Review sample articles to assess quality, credibility, and how well they align with your research needs

For Open Access publishing:

Check whether the journal offers an OA option — either as a fully Open Access journal or through a hybrid model.
Check if the journal is covered under the QNL Open Access agreement or if you have/can obtain funding support to cover Article Processing Charges (APCs).

Popular Journal Selectors/Finders

JANE (Journal Author Name Estimator) helps you find suitable Pubmed–indexed journals by entering your paper’s title and abstract
Manuscript Matcher helps you find suitable Web of Science–indexed journals by entering your paper’s title and abstract in EndNote or EndNote Online
Master Journal List from web of science
Elsevier Journal Finder
Taylor & Francis Journal Suggester
Wiley Journal Finder
SAGE Journal Recommender
IEEE Publication Recommender
Springer Nature Journal Suggester
Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
SCImago Journal Search