Main Page: Pediatrics Portal: Journal Submission Tips

Looking for a journal suggestions to submit your manuscript? Your librarian can help!

For transparency, the process of journal selection entails the following:

Utilization of 3- 4 individual tools to analyze your abstract.
These tools result in specific sets of journals which have published articles similar to your topic, matching your abstract to the scopes of various journals.
- Each tool typically covers different sets of journals with some overlap (For example, Elsevier Journal Finder will result in journals by Elsevier publisher while Springer will only result in articles published by Springer publisher).
The resulting journals from the tools are cross referenced and combined.
From there, an analysis of each journal is conducted selecting for credibility, readership, impact factor, acceptance/rejection rates (if available), and several other factors including whether the type of article you are submitting matches those accepted by the journal (i.e.: research article versus case reports/case series).
Your final result is a detailed spreadsheet with several journal options for you to select from covering a broad range of factors including impact factor, acceptance/rejection rates (if available), and corresponding URLS to each journal's author guidelines.

Let your librarian conduct the analysis!

There are several tools that can be used to conduct initial analyses:

JANE (Journal Author Name Estimator)
- https://jane.biosemantics.org/
Edanz Journal Selector
- https://www.edanz.com/journal-selector
Jot: Journal Targeter
- https://jot.publichealth.yale.edu/
Elsevier Journal Finder
- https://journalfinder.elsevier.com/
Taylor & Francis Journal Suggester
- https://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/publishing-your-research/choosing-a-journal/journal-suggester/

Questions to Consider

Please keep in mind how important the following items to consider when selecting a journal for publication*:

Does the subject of your article match the journal's subject focus?
Does the journal accept the article type you intend to submit?
Is the journal read by your target audience?
Is the journal included in bibliographic and subject-specific databases?
Does the journal have an online edition?
Is the journal's impact factor in line with your requirements?
Is the journal regarded as a prestigious one in its field by colleagues and peers?
What is the turnaround time for articles submitted to the journal?
How many times a year is the journal published?
What are the publication charges?
Is the length and structure of your manuscript acceptable to the journal?

*Adapted from https://www.editage.com/insights/how-to-choose-journals-for-submitting-your-paper

Avoiding Potentially Predatory Journals/Publishers

How can we determine whether or not a journal is considered predatory or suspicious? We can weigh journals and publishers against some of the existing evaluation criteria, including:

Currently indexed for Medline / Index Medicus
- When journals are indexed for Medline or Index Medicus, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) has completed a rigorous vetting process, ensuring that the journal has met stringent criteria for indexing acceptance.
Think Check Submit
- https://thinkchecksubmit.org/journals/
Directory of Open Access Journals:
- https://doaj.org/
Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association
- https://oaspa.org/membership/members/
Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
- https://publicationethics.org/members
Below is Beall's List of Potential Predatory Journals And Publishers - created by a librarian Jeffrey Beall.
- https://beallslist.net/