Ready! Aim! Fire! targeting the right medical science journal

Abstract

ObjectiveInadvertently submitting a paper to a journal that is unlikely to publish it is a waste of resources and ultimately delays dissemination of one’s research. A high proportion of manuscripts are rejected by their author’s first-choice journal. The aim of the present work was to review guidance provided within the literature for journal selection that might minimize the chance of manuscript rejection. We also consider papers that encompass more than one main medical science and describe the selection process that we used with a paper that was published in Cardiovascular Endocrinology.MethodsA database search (Embase, PubMed and Medworm) was performed for all articles published in the scientific literature providing guidance on journal selection. Articles were identified that either had journal selection as their principal topic or included journal selection as part of a broader discussion of publishing. The relative performance of four free-to-use, web-based applications that claim to provide guidance on journal selection was compared.ResultsThe searches identified 286 hits, of which 249 were in English. Of these papers, 16 discussed journal selection and a further 10 articles were identified from citations within the original 16 articles. Only one article described a comprehensive model for submission decision-making. Identification of appropriate candidate journals by various web-based applications was erratic, with the Jane database providing the most robust suggestions.ConclusionOur work suggests that little attention has been focused in the scientific literature on the mechanisms that authors use to select a journal for their work. Nevertheless, scientists for the most part seem to have a good sense of where their papers are most likely to be accepted. Beyond ensuring that a manuscript fulfils all the target journal’s requirements, the literature suggests that it is important to have an objective view of the scientific contribution or ‘value’ of your work.

The Utrecht University Honours Program review project: example based scientific publishing training aimed at bachelor medical students

“…While writing courses and educational material within academia is established, specific courses and associated course material on the publishing process, like selecting the right journal and keywords, the submission and peer review process, is scarce. However, several journal editors and authors have compiled such specific material to assist prospective authors, which can be used in courses on scholarly publication [ 35 – 38 ] for review see Hardman and Serginson [ 39 ]. A similar project as the HP review project was published by Bauler and Jones [ 12 ].…”

Scientific Publishing in Biomedicine: How to Choose a Journal?

“…According to the International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical (STM) Publishers ( 6 ), around 42,500 scientific peer-reviewed English and non-English language journals actively contribute to publish scientific works; considering such a huge number of journals, choosing the right one to submit a manuscript is not easy ( 4 ). Choosing the wrong journal may lead to fast rejection, delayed publication, and waste of time/resources ( 7 , 8 ). Targeting the best journal has no clear-cut criteria or a practical model; it is a complex issue, compounded by the increasing numbers of journals and the emerging changes in the publishing landscape ( 8 , 9 ).…”

“…Choosing the wrong journal may lead to fast rejection, delayed publication, and waste of time/resources ( 7 , 8 ). Targeting the best journal has no clear-cut criteria or a practical model; it is a complex issue, compounded by the increasing numbers of journals and the emerging changes in the publishing landscape ( 8 , 9 ).…”

Publishing in library and information science journals: The success of less experienced researchers

“…Recent studies confirm that choosing an appropriate journal is a complex decision and that many factors are considered when deciding on a publication outlet [16][17][18]. However, selecting a target journal is often based on incomplete information regarding the journal's ability to support the authors in their pursuit of disseminating their research and advancing their academic career [19].…”