JournalFinder helps you find journals that could be best suited for publishing your scientific article. Please also consult the journal’s Aims and Scope for further guidance. Ultimately, the Editor will decide on how well your article matches the journal.

1. FINDINGTHERIGHT
JOURNALATRIGHTTIME
FORTHERIGHTWORK
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU 12/6/2020

2. OVERVIEW OF JOURNAL
SELECTION
12/6/2020
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU

3. Role of Journals
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU12/6/2020
FACILITATE COMMUNICATION
AMONG RESEARCHERS
Help set intellectual
standards
Help the researchers
advance in their
careers
Convey results to the
academic community
Certify authenticity of
research
Overview of Journal Selection (1/3)

4. Research
Manuscript
preparation
Journal
selection
Journal
Focus of this
presentation
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU
12/6/2020
OVERVIEW OF JOURNAL SELECTION (2/3)

5. Figure 3. The growth of peer-reviewed
international journals since 1665. Source: Mabe,
2003.
In 2014, there were about
28,100 active peer-reviewed
English language journals.
In 2016, there were about
900 active predatory
journals reported.
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU
12/6/2020
GROWTH IN JOURNAL NUMBERS
No.ofjournals
Figure 4. The growth of predatory publishing
since 2011. Source: Times Higher Education.
Overview of Journal Selection (3/3)

6. CONSIDERATIONS WHILE SELECTING A
JOURNAL
12/6/2020
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU

7. Identifying your
target journal is
like searching for
a needle in a
haystack
Certain factors
need to be
considered for
identifying the
most
appropriate
journals
12/6/2020 Dr. S.Ghosh NBU

8. 1. Is the journal niche or general?
2. Significance: who does your work help?
3. Novelty/Innovation: what is the outcome of your work?
4. Does the journal:
accept your article type? (Original, review, case report, letter/communication)
accept theoretical/applied research?
accept clinical/laboratory research?
publish open access/subscription?
charge publication fees?
TIPS
Read sections titled ‘About the journal’ and ‘Aims and scope’ to check if the scope of
journal covers your research area
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU
12/6/2020
MATCHING AIMS & SCOPE

9. BROAD SCOPE JOURNALS
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU
12/6/2020
 Top-tier Journals (Cell,
Nature, Science): More
competition and lower
acceptance rate.
 Mega Journals (PLOS ONE):
High acceptance rates but
charge publication fees.
Specialized journals
Traditional and society-linked
journals. Different levels of
specialization.
Narrow focus ensures
exposure to a targeted group
of researchers.
Accessibility (1/3)

10. International Journals
 Offer widest exposure and
global recognition
 Generally higher publishing
and ethical standards
 May not be accessible to
researchers because of lack
of funds
ACCESSIBILITY (2/3)
Regional Journals
 Good fit for domestically
significant research (e.g.,
endemic diseases)
 May not be recognized
internationally
 May not meet indexing standards of
major databases
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU12/6/2020

11. Dr. S.Ghosh NBU
12/6/2020
ACCESSIBILITY (3/3)
Open Access (OA) model
Traditional model
Published material can only be accessed by readers who have
subscribed to the journals.
Gold open access model
Research material is freely accessible to readers once
published.
Green open access model
Material is deposited in a discipline or subject specific
open repository.
Hybrid model
Some content in the journal is openly accessible whilst the rest
requires subscription.

12. Discoverability (1/2)
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU12/6/2020
IS THE JOURNAL INCLUDED IN MAJOR ABSTRACTING
AND INDEXING (A&I) SERVICES?
The availability of journals through these A&I services is a clear
indication of a journal’s credibility.
Directories and Services:
• ISI – Impact Factor
• Web of Science
• Scopus (EI compendex)
• SciFinder
• IEEE Xplore
• PubMed
• EMBASE
• CiteSeerX

13. Does the journal/publisher have social media presence?
Are the articles indexed by popular search engines?
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU
12/6/2020
DISCOVERABILITY (2/2)
TIPS
You can improve the “searchability” of articles by including the following:
 Use popular keywords
 Optimize vector graphics
 Using Google Analytics
 Publicize your article on social media through different platforms (interest
groups, Twitter, LinkedIn)

14. JOURNAL QUALITY (1/2)
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU
12/6/2020
Is the journal read
by your target
audience?
Is it led by an
effective editorial
board?
Is it a peer-
reviewed
journal?
Is the publisher
clearly mentioned?
How does it rank
compared with
other respected
journals in your
field?
Is it subscribed to
by libraries?
Does it have an
ISSN No?
Quality
Criteria

15. Dr. S.Ghosh NBU12/6/2020
CITATION METRICS
• Serve as a measure of a journal/article/author/institution’s
research impact based upon citations
• Can be journal or author specific
• Journal specific metrics include:
• Journal Impact Factor
• Eigenfactor
• 5-year Impact Factor
• Immediacy Index
Journal Quality (2/2)
Journal metrics can have problems
Look at all factors before making a decision

16. Dr. S.Ghosh NBU12/6/2020
KEY EVALUATION FACTOR
- Review journal statistics on publication time frames (from
submission to online release)
- Are articles from the target journal released online as soon as
accepted?
- Is your research study time sensitive? (short communication
of research breakthrough vs. review article)
Speed of publication

17. Dr. S.Ghosh NBU
12/6/2020
OTHER FACTORS
Funding
agencies’
policies
Ethical
guidelines
Article
processing
charges
Accessibility
and
readability on
mobile
devices
Archiving
article &
supplemental
data
Compliance
with public
access
mandates

18. THINK. CHECK. SUBMIT. INITIATIVE
12/6/2020Dr. S.Ghosh NBU

19. • Guide researchers to identify
established and authentic journals
for their research
• Collectively with author education,
this cross-sector initiative promotes
integrity and certainty on reliable
research study
• Coalition founded in the wake of
deceptive publishing
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU
12/6/2020
THINK. CHECK. SUBMIT (1/2)
Source:https://thinkchecksubmit.org/

20. Dr. S.Ghosh NBU12/6/2020
THINK !
• Verify that the selected
journal is authentic. Do
not fall for predatory
journals!
• Ensure that your
research study matches
the aims and scope of
the selected journal.
Check
• Whether or not you
peers know about the
journal
• If the publisher is
trackable
• If the journal’s peer review
system is specified clearly
• If the already published
articles are indexed
• Journal fee structure
• Editorial Board members
• Affiliation with industry
initiatives/organizations/t
rade associations
Submit
• Only if the answer is
“YES” to most or all of
these questions .
Think. Check. Submit (2/2)
Source:https://thinkchecksubmit.org/

21. DIGITAL TOOLS TO IDENTIFY THE RIGHT JOURNAL
12/6/2020Dr. S.Ghosh NBU

22. Dr. S.Ghosh NBU12/6/2020
AUTHOR-SPECIFIC TOOLS: FINDMYJOURNAL
 On-of-its-kind software assisting researchers in identifying the most suitable
journal by the application of mathematical and objective algorithm.
 Extremely useful for early-stage as well as experienced researchers, for
whom interdisciplinary publication could be a daunting process.
 Major publishers and databases include-
1. Elsevier
2. Taylor & Francis Group
3. Wiley
4. Springer
5. Web of Science
6. Scopus
7. SAGE
8. PubMed

23.  Subject area
 Most cited journals in your
manuscript
 Objective of your research study
 Article type
 Expected time for publication
 Accessibility (Open Access)
 SCI-Indexing
 Target audience-type: Specific or Wide
 Comparative quality of the journal
 Keywords based on your
manuscript
The most appropriate journals suited for your manuscript are suggested based on:
Image source: https://www.findmyjournal.com/
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU12/6/2020
AUTHOR-SPECIFIC TOOLS: FINDMYJOURNAL

24. Dr. S.Ghosh NBU12/6/2020
AUTHOR-SPECIFIC TOOLS:
Enago’s Open Access Journal Finder (OAJF)
• With the application of advanced search algorithm, OAJF enables its users to
find top-notch open access journals indexed by the most-trusted Directory of
Open Access Journals (DOAJ).
• Aims to solve familiar issues related to authenticity of journals with
increasing prevalence of predatory journals.
• Enago’s proprietary search algorithm helps authors narrowing the list of most-
relevant journals, matching the purpose of your research study, thus
increasing your chances of publication.
• Short-listed journals are:
 Keyword-targeted, most relevant to the subject area of your research study
 Validated and certified by DOAJ
 Include international high impact, peer-reviewed publications

25. Author-specific Tools:
Enago’s Open Access Journal Finder (OAJF)
https://www.enago.com/academy/journal-finder/

26. Dr. S.Ghosh NBU12/6/2020
PUBLISHER-SPECIFIC TOOLS
• Journal finder tools such as Springer Nature
Journal Suggester, Wiley’s Journal Finder
Beta, Elsevier® Journal Finder have a very
user-friendly process.
• The authors have to submit the title of the
manuscript and the abstract, followed by
selecting the subject area.
• The software would return a list of the best-
matched journals suited for manuscript
submission.
Elsevier® Journal Finder

27. Dr. S.Ghosh NBU12/6/2020
PUBLISHER-SPECIFIC TOOLS
Sources:
https://journalfinder.elsevier.com/, https://journalsuggester.springer.com/ , https://journalfinder.wiley.com/

28. TOOLS TO ENSURE AUTHENTICITY OF JOURNALS
12/6/2020Dr. S.Ghosh NBU

29. Dr. S.Ghosh NBU12/6/2020
DIRECTORY OF OPEN ACCESS JOURNALS (DOAJ)
An online directory indexing ~12,000 high-quality, peer-reviewed,
open access journals across STEM, social science and humanities
disciplines.
The directory is a good starting point for searches relating to the
credibility and trustworthiness of open access journals.
Promotes following the Principles of Transparency and Best
Practices in Scholarly Publishing.

30. Dr. S.Ghosh NBU12/6/2020
DIRECTORY OF OPEN ACCESS JOURNALS (DOAJ)
An example of open access journal searched on DOAJ
Journal
accepted
by DOAJ
DOAJ seal
Source:https://doaj.org/

31. Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
Source:https://doaj.org/
An example of article-level search
on DOAJ

32. When submitting to an open access journal, check DOAJ for the
following:
 The journal is listed.
 The publisher is a member of DOAJ.
 The journal adheres to the revised DOAJ acceptance criteria.
 The journal has been awarded the DOAJ Seal.
 The journal has been removed from DOAJ.
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU12/6/2020
DIRECTORY OF OPEN ACCESS JOURNALS (DOAJ)

33. Journals are removed from DOAJ if:
 It is no longer Open Access.
 It is inactive/ceased publishing
 Not published enough articles this
calendar year.
 Website URL no longer works.
 Evidence of editorial misconduct.
 Publisher fails to submit a new
application within given time.
 Non adherence to industry best
practice.
DIRECTORY OF OPEN ACCESS JOURNALS (DOAJ)
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU
12/6/2020
DOAJ seal provided to journals if:
 They use DOI’s
 Provide article metadata
 Deposit content with a long-term digital
preservation/archiving program
 Deposit policy registered
 Allow reuse and mixing of content
 Embed machine-readable CC licensing
information
 Allow author to hold copyright without
restrictions

34.  Represent the interests of open access publishers globally via exchange of
information, setting standards, advocacy, education and innovation.
 Stringent application evaluation process to be followed by publishers for becoming a
member.
 Applications are judged by the committee and board members against a strict set of
membership criteria.
 They ensure that the publisher follows responsible publishing practices and adheres
to the OASPA Code of Conduct.
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU12/6/2020
OPEN ACCESS SCHOLARLY PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION

35. List of OASPA members can be found at:
http://oaspa.org/membership/members/
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU12/6/2020
OPEN ACCESS SCHOLARLY PUBLISHERS
ASSOCIATION

36. CLARIVATE MASTER JOURNAL LIST
12/6/2020
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU

37. TOOLS TO IDENTIFY JOURNAL RANKING
12/6/2020Dr. S.Ghosh NBU

38. Dr. S.Ghosh NBU12/6/2020
SCIMAGO JOURNAL AND COUNTRY RANK
 It is a one-stop platform to find details about the rank of
journals.
 It uses the Google PageRank™ algorithm.
 You can obtain details such as the SCImago Journal Rankings
(SJRs) and h-indices for journals here.
 It is free platform that is easily accessible to the public and
simplifies the understanding of journal rankings.

39. Key features:
 Journals are compared and analyzed by subject area and
category
 Information for various indicators is sourced from the Scopus
database.
 Allows you to access and embed relevant journal metrics into
your own blog or website.
 Option of including or excluding open access journals.
 Allows you to analyze year wise performance of journals.
 Data accessed can be downloaded for future reference.
Dr. S.Ghosh NBU12/6/2020
SCIMAGO JOURNAL AND COUNTRY RANK

40. SCIMAGO JOURNAL AND COUNTRY RANK
12/6/2020Dr. S.Ghosh NBU

41. Dr. S.Ghosh NBU12/6/2020
DISCLAIMER
All contents used in this presentation are under CC licensing and for academic use
only.

42. 12/6/2020Dr. S.Ghosh NBU