Research Guides: Predatory Journals: Home

Guidelines for Choosing a Journal

In addition to reviewing familiar professional titles and speaking with colleagues, authors should consider these journal qualities before submitting an article for publication.

Qualities to consider	Sources for answers
Does my article manuscript match the subject scope of this journal?	Use Ulrich's Global Serials Directory to search by subject and identify potential journal titles. These major publishers provide online tools to help authors identify journals based on the title, abstract and/or subject matter of their manuscripts: Elsevier Journals Springer Journals Wiley-Blackwell Journals Search for the journal's official website using Ulrich's Global Serials Directory to view the scope and aims of that journal.
Who is the publisher? When did the journal begin publication? How frequently is the journal published? Is the journal refereed? Is the journal open-access? What is the official website for this journal? What databases (if any) index the contents of that journal? What databases (if any) include the full-text of that journal's articles?	Use Ulrich's Global Serials Directory to search by journal title
Is the journal indexed in Google Scholar? Is the journal indexed in Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)?	Google Scholar -- Use the Advanced Search to search by journal title - "return articles published in..." DOAJ --DOAJ is a community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals.
What is the acceptance rate for articles submitted for publication?	Cabell's Directories of Publishing Opportunities -- Lists journals in business, computer science, education, health/nursing and psychology
What impact factors (if any) have been assessed for that journal?	Eigenfactor AI score SCImago Journal Ranking Google Scholar h5-Index Search for the journal's official website -- publishers sometimes cite the IFs of their journals Journal Citation Reports -- not available at UNK
What fee (if any) is the author required to pay prior to publication? NOTE: This is increasingly common for open-access publications.	Cabell's Directories of Publishing Opportunities -- Lists journals in business, computer science, education, health/nursing and psychology Search for the journal's official website -- May be listed under "Author Instructions"
If author's fees are required, is the journal associated with an OASPA-member publisher? (a positive attribute)	Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association member list -- Publishers and organizations who are vetted members of OASPA and agree to adhere to its Code of Conduct
What rights or copyright terms does the author retain by publishing in this journal (i.e. can the author legally post a copy on a personal website or institutional repository?)	Use SHERPA/RoMEO to search by journal title or ISSN and find a summary of author's rights for that publication. Locate the journal's official website using Ulrich's Global Serials Directory to view author's rights and copyright terms.