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University Library DePaul Library

Evaluating Journals & Publishers

Here are some sources of useful information, data & guidance for identifying the most appropriate journal for publishing your work. In addition to using these sources, remember also to use article databases (e.g. "Environment Complete," "Academic Search Complete," "GreenFILE") to identify those journals that have recently published works relevant to your research interest. To review content in one specific journal, use the library's 'Journals by Title' search tool.

Research Integrity & Misconduct

Here are a few suggested resources and tools you could use for identifying, avoiding and understanding instances of research misconduct and other sources of error, including fraud, plagiarism, data fabrication or data manipulation:

Identifying an Appropriate Journal for Publication - Different Approaches

1. Using the Results of Your Preliminary Database Searches

It is recommended that appropriate journals (or other publication types) for your scholarly work are identified at the earliest stages of your project--for instance in the names of journals represented in the results of database searches used to check for existing/previously published works or studies in your chosen area of study.

 

2. Using “Manuscript Matcher” & “Journal Recommender” Tools

Publishers, database providers and other information organizations have developed tools to help identify appropriate journals for publication. Matches may be based on a mix of criteria, including your stated subject area, keywords, and terms included in the abstract or main body of your manuscript:

Web of Science Manuscript Matcher: Matches your manuscript title and abstract to journals indexed in the "Web of Science Core Collection" database. Requires logging into a personal account (i.e. the same account that you'd use to save your searches & references when using either of the Web of Science or Journal Citation Reports databases).

Elsevier Journal Finder: Matches for journals published by Elsevier are identified according to manuscript title, abstract, keywords and field of research, with optional filters for open access, journal impact, review and publication time.

Springer Journal Suggester: Matches for journals published by Springer-Nature are identified according to manuscript title, full text, subject area, minimum impact factor, minimum acceptance rate, maximum time to first decision, indexing services, and open access/subscription status.

Sage Journal Recommender: Matches for journals published by Sage Publications are identified according to manuscript title, keywords, subject terms, indexing services, and open access/subscription status.

Taylor & Francis Journal Suggester: Matches for journals published by Taylor & Francis are identified according to the content of your manuscript abstract.

Wiley Journal Recommendation Service: This is a fee-based service of "Wiley Editing Services," in which an appropriate subject expert analyzes your completed and submitted manuscript to identify matches for journals published by Wiley.

 

3. Using Journal Metrics Tools

The following online resources facilitate browsing of journals by subject area and other criteria, and provide different measures of journal impact: