How to choose a journal for your research paper and avoid predatory journals
Choosing the right journal decides who reads your work, how quickly it is reviewed and whether it counts for your PhD, promotion or API score. Choosing the wrong one, especially a predatory journal, can waste months and money and harm your reputation.
Step 1: Look at where your sources were published
The journals you cite most often are usually the best fit for your own paper. Their readers already care about your topic. Make a shortlist of five to ten journals from your reference list.
Step 2: Read each journal's scope and recent issues
- Read the "Aims and scope" page. Does your topic and method clearly fit?
- Look at the last few issues. Are there papers similar to yours in length and approach?
- Check the article types they accept (research article, review, short communication).
Use the Journal finder to search journals by subject and see their basic details.
Step 3: Check the practical details
- Review time and acceptance rate, if published.
- Fees: many good journals charge nothing to publish. Open-access journals may charge an article processing charge (APC). It should be clearly stated before you submit.
- Indexing: if your university requires Scopus, Web of Science or another index, check it yourself.
How to check indexing claims yourself
Never rely on a logo on the journal's website. Search for the journal's exact title and ISSN in the database itself (for example the Scopus source list, the Web of Science Master Journal List or the Directory of Open Access Journals). Watch out for "cloned" journals that copy the name of a real journal with a slightly different web address.
Warning signs of a predatory journal
- An unsolicited email praising your work and inviting you to submit, often to a journal outside your field.
- Promises of acceptance or publication within days.
- Fees that are hidden until after acceptance.
- A very broad scope ("all subjects of science, arts and management").
- Fake or unverifiable impact factors and indexing.
- Editorial board members who don't list the journal on their own profiles, or contact details that are only a mobile number or Gmail address.
- Many spelling and grammar mistakes on the website and in published papers.
Before you submit
- Follow the journal's author guidelines exactly: word count, reference style and file format.
- Check your references with the Citation generator and the style the journal asks for.
- Submit to only one journal at a time.