You've done the research. You've written the manuscript. Where should you publish?
To maximise the audience and impact of your paper consider the following:
- does the topic of your paper match the journal's scope?
- does the journal publish this type of research , eg case notes, replication studies. etc
- read the journal guidelines before preparing your submission. Do you meet the criteria?
- what is the best readership for your paper:
- specialised (small but interested audience), or
- general (larger but competing for attention)
- is the journal visible?
- is it widely read in your discipline?
- is it indexed in relevant databases such as Medline/PubMed?
- what is it's impact factor?
- what type of access do you want?
- open access (OA)? This can reach a wider audience but often involves article processing fees (APC's), which can be significant.
- subscription access. The traditional approach, no upfront fees but may be behind a paywall.
- not sure what OA means? - read the University of Melbourne Open Scholarship guide.
