Where to publish

Multidisciplinary databases maintain their own collections of journals classified into different subject areas according to journal scope. Use these databases to find journal metrics and descriptions to help make a decision about where to publish.

Quantitative tools

You can prioritise a list of journals to submit to, should you need to look beyond your first choice. There are a number of ways that you can evaluate journals. Some quantitative tools that use citation metrics are Journal Citation Reports (JCR) or Scopus sources, DOAJ or SCImago Journal Rank (SJR).

Journal Citation Reports

Journal Citation Reports (JCR) allows you to compare journals indexed in the Web of Science (PDF) using citation data. It can show you the relative impact of different journals in your field, which may be just one consideration when deciding where to publish.

Watch a demonstration of Journal Citation Reports (JCR) on YouTube (5 mins)

SCImago

SCImago Journal and Country Rank (SJR) is a free database based on Scopus data. It provides a prestige metric based on the quality and reputation of journals (called the SJR). It is included in Scopus Journal Metrics (PDF).

See an overview of SCImago Journal and Country Rank (SJR) on YouTube (5 mins)

Scopus

Scopus "compare sources" allows you to sort journal titles in a subject area by impact values. Use it to identify high impact journals within the Scopus database. This tool will enable you to compare journals according to the CiteScore, SJR or SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper).

Watch how to use Scopus "compare sources" on YouTube (5 mins)

To find out more about these tools, sign up to our Where to Publish webinar and see our Bibliometrics measures webpage.

Be aware of predatory publishers

Predatory publishers may make false claims about their peer-review processes and quality control to charge article processing charges. Such publishers often conduct poor peer review and quality checks or bypass these processes altogether. Scholarly work may become unavailable due to substandard archiving systems, so long-term open access to research is not achieved.

Predatory journals may spam researchers with requests for articles promising rapid publication or the prospect of joining an editorial board.

To check a potential publishing outlet, use the Think Check Submit checklist for journals and checklist for books.

Look up specific titles in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB).

You can also use the databases listed above to check a publisher’s credentials: JCR, SJR or Scopus.