Passive vs. Active voice Carolyn Brown Taller especializado de inglés científico para publicaciones académicas D.F., México de junio de 2013 SELECTING A JOURNAL FOR PUBLICATION Background and Basics in Academic Researching and Publishing

World of journals 10s to 100s of journals, depending on the field There are full lists, available through indexing services such as Scopus, Web of Science, CSA Illumina, and others How do you choose? Who will publish you?

Journal publishing industry An industry like any other Large multinational commercial companies University presses Not-for-profit publishers run by associations and societies ◦ Most publish three or fewer journals ◦ 10,000 societies own at least one journal ◦ Together, they own 55% of the world’s journals

Journal publishing industry Top 10 publishers publish about 35% of all journals Top 100 publishers publish 67% of all journals 95% of publishers publish only one or two journals, but these may be very good journals 25,400 active scholarly journals published in journals in Journal Citation Reports

Journal publishing industry Largest journal publisher is Elsevier >2000 journals including The Lancet and Cell Based in Amsterdam Next largest is Springer ~2000 journals Based in Berlin

Journal publishing industry Next is Wiley-Blackwell, with 1500 journals It is the result of a merger between two publishers in recent years Mergers increasingly common Largest university press journal publisher is Oxford University Press Based in Oxford and New York

Journal publishing industry Largest university press in the US is University of Chicago Press, publishing 41 journals

Cite and read When you search for articles in your area, which journals are they found in? Which journals do you cite in your paper? Read these journals regularly to follow what they are publishing Read the reference lists from good articles in your area Find any journals that you were unaware of

Is this journal any good? Go to journal Web site or paper copy, and read: ◦ Statement on scope of journal ◦ Impact factor, Eigenfactor, article influence score ◦ Instructions for authors ◦ Where the journal is indexed ◦ Editor and editorial board A journal that is not indexed in a major source (Current Contents, PubMed) is a bad sign

Is this journal any good? Online-only and open access journals ▫Some are excellent (BioMed Central journals, Public Library of Science journals) ▫Some are “fly by night” – not indexed, not peer- reviewed, not read Some journals charge “page charges” or “publication fee” ▫Some of these are major, famous journals ▫Some are “fly by night”

General or specialized journal? If there is a specialized journal in your area, this is a good place to start If not, or if you work in a cross-disciplinary area, choose a general journal

Would this journal be interested in my manuscript? Look at ▫Scope statement ▫Instructions for authors ▫Articles currently being published If you’re still not sure, contact the editor! Editors love authors to contact them and ask Saves time and effort for editors and authors

Make a list Decide on a list of journals you would like to submit to Make a spreadsheet with ◦ Editor’s name, telephone number, address ◦ Scope notes ◦ Impact factor and other statistics Put list in order of preference Start with the best journal and work down