Resource of the Week #193: Some Journal-Selection Advice for Authors

Hello again. This week’s resource is titled “How to Target a Journal That’s Right for Your Research”. It’s the newest SciDev.Net Practical Guide, and it was written by Ravi Murugesan, a member of the AuthorAID team.

The guide includes

• pointers for avoiding predatory journals
• an explanation of the open access model
• cautions regarding impact factor
• questions to consider regarding a journal’s audience
• advice for developing a communication strategy

Among the “take-home messages” are the following:

• “Ultimately, the most important thing you can do is to know your audience.”
• “Don’t be swayed by grand claims made on a journal's website or in calls for papers unless those claims can be verified.”
• “Authors who wish to publish in open access journals should try to include [article processing charges] in their research budgets and should check to see if fees are waived for authors in developing countries.”
• “When authors treat [impact factor] as the most important criterion for selecting a journal, they have not fully understood the point of research communication.”
• “These days you should think beyond conventional publications, for example by promoting papers on social media and archiving them and their data.”
   

Thank you, Ravi and SciDev.Net, for providing this helpful resource.

Until the next post—

Barbara