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The process of picking the right Scopus journal has become increasingly complex due to the proliferation of Scopus indexed journals, areas of specialization, and the emergence of interdisciplinary topics. Research authors, therefore, have to optimize between many criteria or constraints before making a decision on where to publish. If you’re in a hurry, running through the following checklist will help you learn some valuable tips on how to pick the best journals to publish research paper.
Quick Tips For Picking The Right Scopus Journals
The Reputation & Business Model Of The Scopus Journal
The reputation of a Scopus journal includes
- the publisher of the Scopus journal,
- the societal organization that sponsors the journal, the purpose, and scope,
- the mission statement, among other criteria.
A journal’s publisher or sponsoring society can place great credibility on the quality of a journal. The purpose and scope should be clearly stated, and other information such as a mission statement or sponsoring organizations help gauge the reputation of the journal. A journal’s business model should be obvious, and if there are any publication fees, the fees should be clearly stated on the Scopus journal’s website – in other words, there should be no surprise fees after submitting a manuscript for peer review.
The Impact Factor Of The Journal
Quantitative measures of the Scopus journal, such as its
- h-index,
- impact factor,
- article influence and
- journal rank,
are used to determine its impact. These are usually related to the citation rate of articles published in the Scopus journal; however, both these values along with absolute citation counts can also be analyzed.
The Journal’s Scope & Publishing Policies
The research areas covered and the types of articles published have to be scrutinized. This will help address the suitable target audience. In addition, you should review the journal’s editorial policies and practices. This would help anticipate any situations that may arise during the submission and peer-review process.
Journal Requirements & Distribution
Most journals, let alone Scopus indexed journals have a certain style for the article. Every article has to adhere to the guidelines of the journal. The distribution mode (print/online) along with the number of subscribers help in determining what the reach of the journal is. For open access journals, where the content is accessible to everyone, it is helpful to have an estimate of the number of readers that the journal has on average. This will help in determining how many people your article could potentially be read by.
Editorial Quality
The editorial quality noted in publications, including editorials, can provide clues to the quality of the journal. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors or lack of clarity and consistency in writing indicate a lack of editorial oversight and reviewer engagement. These clues may flag a journal that is not suitable for journal publication. Titles and summaries themselves can also be indicative of editorial quality – a title that is not descriptive or a summary that needs to be read more than once can be a warning sign.
The Peer Review Process
The transparency of the peer review process is a quality criterion for Scopus journals. A reputable Scopus indexed journal will fully disclose its peer review process, including criteria used for
- peer review,
- selection of reviewers,
- type of peer review,
- peer review timelines, and
- how the peer review process is managed by the Editorial Board.
Additional details about how conflicts of interest are handled, confidentiality, and other ethical standards for peer reviewers should also be available on the journal’s website. Information about the peer review process for a specific Scopus journal, including the stature of reviewers, objectivity, and timelines, have to be gathered from a variety of sources because of the fact that a lot of journals these days try to fudge data that this available online. Actual values or estimates of rejection rates must be obtained to accurately determine if a Scopus journal is indeed legitimate or not. Fast track publication journals normally have refined peer-review processes that enable them to peer review, optimize and publish manuscripts quickly.
Ethics
A quality Scopus journal will include information on issues such as
- plagiarism,
- conflict of interest,
- internal review board approval,
- informed consent,
- research on human and animal subjects, confidentiality,
- fraud,
- salami (or segmented) research articles,
- phantom authorship,
- data and image manipulation, and
- other ethical considerations.
A journal should include information about ethics on the journal’s website, what their expectations of authors are, and how they approach these issues. If you wish to learn about how to publish a research paper, checking out your chosen journal’s ethics and guidelines will help you gain tremendous insight.
Editorial Board Members
A review of the Scopus journal’s editorial board can reveal valuable information about the quality of a journal. Editorial board members should be recognized as recognized experts in the field related to the journal’s purpose and scope, affiliated with well-known institutions, and hold appropriate academic credentials. Contact details for editorial staff should also be accessible. If information is missing from the Scopus journal’s website or if there is no contact information for editorial board members, further review is recommended before submitting a manuscript for peer review. Attending and presenting your research work at international conferences is a great way to get the attention of renowned Scopus journals. Subscribe to our conference alerts to receive notifications every time a world-class conference is set to take place in your field.
