Article

Choosing the best journal for your paper

Academic searches for a journal in library shelves © lechatnoir via Getty Images

Publishing a scientific paper is a significant achievement. The benefits for you as a researcher, your institution and the wider scientific community can be enormous. But the question of where to publish can be complex and time-consuming to navigate.

The number of journals available around the world has been steadily on the rise for years with an overwhelming volume of research being published today. Alongside this, different types of publishing models have emerged, making it harder to pin down the right destination for publishing your work.

A critical decision in your publishing journey

"We normally take it for granted when we choose a journal, but thinking a bit more deeply about where we publish our research can actually make it more impactful.”
Jan Eldridge, Head of Physics, University of Auckland

Choosing the right journal for your research is possibly the most important decision you’ll make during the publication process.

Researchers know that it’s also one of the most difficult decisions to make. Independent research conducted by Springer Nature (n=495) found choosing the right journal is the number one concern for researchers when publishing a paper. Over 65% of those surveyed cited this as their main challenge.

^{Figure 1. Stacked bar chart of the main challenges faced in publishing a research paper as identified by researchers (n = 495; challenges with >10% response rate shown).}^{Q: What are the main challenges that you face when publishing a research paper? Data from independent research for Springer Nature: Nature Masterclasses, 2023.}

“In my career, choosing a journal for a body of research is probably still the hardest thing about publishing. And so the sooner you start to understand your target audience, the types of journal you want to publish in and the editorial landscape of those different types of journal, the sooner you become more comfortable with publishing.”

Kizzmekia S. Corbett- Helaire, Assistant Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Focusing a difficult task into a stepwise process

Knowing how to address this challenge, and what journal is “best” for you and your research, is difficult. Not only is there an overwhelming choice, with thousands of journals available, there are bad actors hiding out there in plain sight - predatory journals - which could cause significant harm to your career. But this is just one small element contributing to the major decision you’re about to make.

That’s why Nature Masterclasses have created a new course, Choosing the Best Journal for your Paper, which addresses all the major factors you’ll need to consider when making this crucial decision.

Choosing the Best Journal for your Paper will equip you with the knowledge necessary not only to avoid disreputable journals but to pin your search down to the ideal destination for the paper you’ve worked so hard to create. Through a clear, defined step-wise process, you can follow along and complete the provided template shortlist journal table as you work through the course, collating potential journals, reviewing key characteristics and ultimately selecting the best one for your research.

^{Figure 2. Process arrow showing the five steps involved in choosing the best journal for your paper.}

By getting it right, you and your institution can save a lot of time and resources avoiding multiple submissions to, and rejections from, unsuitable journals. And once your work is published in the most appropriate journal, you can also feel secure in the fact that your work will be read by the right people, maximising its impact.

“Taking this course can be very helpful to researchers because it aims to demystify what journals are after. Ultimately it can help you get your work published in the most appropriate journal in the fastest possible time.”

Alexia-Ileana Zaromytidou, Chief Editor, Nature Cancer

Key takeaways from the course

Choosing the Best Journal for your Paper focuses on all the key elements of the decision process, from start to end. After taking this course, you’ll be equipped with the strategies to:

Understand why finding the best journal for your work is so important;
Establish when you should start searching for the right journal;
Choose the most appropriate type of journal for the content of your paper;
Identify journals that enable you to reach your target audience;
Evaluate all the relevant factors for a journal such as reputation, aims and scope, publishing model, costs and additional features such as editorial services;
Avoid predatory journals;
Choose which journal you should submit to first;
Submit pre-submission enquiries to check if a journal is the best fit.

^{Figure 3. An illustrative figure of a researcher thinking about what factors might influence how they rank potential journals to submit their paper to.}

Practical, step-by-step advice

“This course will give you the knowledge and skills required to figure out not only which journal your work might be a good fit for, but also which journal is the best fit for you.”

Rafal Marszalek, Chief Editor, Scientific Reports

This highly accessible, on-demand course runs for a total of four hours over three modules. Divided into 20 bite-sized lessons, you can complete it in short, focused sessions as and when your busy work schedule allows, and revisit lessons when you need to. Interactive activities help to apply what you’ve learned and check progress, and a certificate of completion is awarded at the end.

Expert advice from professionals

Choosing the Best Journal for your Paper was developed and fine-tuned by a team of experts with a deep knowledge of scientific publishing and a broad range of experience from around the world.

Kizzmekia S. Corbett- Helaire, Assistant Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Jan Eldridge, Head of Physics, University of Auckland
Davide Esposito, Chief Editor, Nature Catalysis
Nathalie Le Bot, Editorial Director, Health and Clinical Sciences, Nature Communications
Rafal Marszalek, Chief Editor, Scientific Reports

Further experienced editors, researchers and professionals also contributed their expertise to enrich the course content.

Harith Farooq, Lecturer, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Lúrio University
Zoltan Fehervari, Senior Editor, Nature
Bryden Le Bailly, Senior Editor, Nature
Jess Monaghan, Director, Policy and Performance, Open Access, Springer Nature
Wade Petersen, Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Town
Alexia-Ileana Zaromytidou, Chief Editor, Nature Cancer
Xun (Jerry) Zou, Atmospheric Scientist, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego

Supporting researchers in successful publication

Choosing the Best Journal for your Paper will set you on the right path to publication success. This course completes the Nature Masterclasses’ scientific writing and publishing learning journey, with four courses available to comprehensively guide through the whole publication process:

Nature Masterclasses accompany you on your research journey from start to finish, supporting you with practical and insightful advice along the way. Let the experts help guide you through the challenges and maximise the many opportunities that come your way.