This document provides guidelines for selecting the appropriate journal to submit research for publication. It discusses exploring a journal's aims and scope, checking if similar articles have been published, considering restrictions and impact factor. Online tools are presented to help identify journals. Common reasons for manuscript rejection are outlined. The importance of thoroughly responding to reviewer comments is emphasized.

1. Explore, Check, Select, and Evaluate
Journals in Scopus
Explore
Evaluate
Select
Check
MSc. Nabeel Salih Ali
Lec. ECE Dept., Faculty of Engineering,
Member at ITRDC Center, University of Kufa.
ORCID: 0000-0001-9988-5619

2. Exploring
Journals
• Describes Types of Journals, Criteria
and Restriction, Indexing, Submission
System, and Authors Guidelines.

3. Types of Journals
Types of Journals
National Vs. International
Peer-reviewed Vs.
Non-reviewed
Disciplinary Vs. Interdisciplinary
Commercial Vs. Society Journal
Commercial Vs. Open Access Journals
Research Vs.
Review Journals
Printed journals Vs.
Online Journals

4. Article Submission

5. Article Submission
 Select your journal carefully
 Read the aims and scope
 Think about your target audience and the level of your work – do you have
a realistic chance of being accepted?
 Follow the guidelines in the notes for authors and include everything they
ask – it makes the editor’s job easier…
 Articles should not be submitted to more than one journal at a time
• See: Instructions to Authors in Health Sciences
• http://mulford.mco.edu/instr/

6. Article Submission
 Cover letter
o Article Submission
o Full address of corresponding author
o Addresses, e-mails and names of co-authors
o Title
o Nice text (Hello editor,…..why this journal)
 •Author statement
o Work is original and has been carried out by the authors
o All authors have contributed
o All authors agree with the text and its submission
o No part has been published elsewhere unless
acknowledged in the text
o Manuscript has not been submitted to another journal
 Potential referees

7. Online Submission
 Many publishers now offer a completely electronic
submission process
 Article is submitted online and all of the review procedure
also happens online
 Speeds up the editorial process
 Is invaluable for authors in low-income countries

8. After Submission
 Most journal editors will make an initial decision on a paper -
to review or to reject
 Most editors appoint two referees
 Refereeing speed varies tremendously between journals
 Authors should receive a decision of Accept, Accept with
Revision (Minor or Major), or Reject
 If a paper is rejected, most editors will write to you explaining
their decision

9. After Submission
 After rejection, authors have the option of submitting the
paper to another journal - editor’s suggestions should be
addressed

10. Overview of Peer Review Process
Paper Submitted
Initial Decision by Editor
Confirmation of Receipt
Rejection Decide to Review
Assign Reviewers
Reviewers Accept Invite
Reviews Completed
Reject
Accept
Notification to Author
Revise
Paper sent to Publisher
Accept
Revise
Revision Received
Revision Checked

11. Editor’s Decision
Reviewer #1 Reviewer #2 Editor Decision
Minor Revision Minor Revision Minor Revision
Major Revision Major Revision Major Revision
Major Revision Major Revision Rejected
Major Revision Minor Revision Major Revision
Major Revision Minor Revision Minor Revision
Rejected Minor Revision Rejected
Rejected Major Revision Rejected

12. Evaluate
Journal
Performance
• Lists Indicators of the Journal Performance
and their Problems.

13. Indicators of Journal Performance
• Citation index
– Tracking citations between journals
• Journal impact factor
– Indicates the utility of a paper / a journal
• Impact factor = papers cited / papers published
• IF = 1 = 100 / 100 IF = 2 = 200/100
- Shows the prominence of a journal
• - Nature ~ 30
• - Science ~ 25
• - Landscape Ecology ~ 2,1
• - Landscape and Urban Planning ~ 1,6
• - Ecological Indicators ~ 1,9 -> 3,1 -> 3,0

14. Indicators of Journal Performance
Journal Metrics Journal Insights

15. SNIP Metric SJR Metric
Impact
Factor
5 Years Impact Factor
Article Influence
& Eigen Factor
Indicators of Journal Performance

16. Indicators of Journal Performance

17. Indicators of Journal Performance

18. Indicators of Journal Performance

19. Indicators of Journal Performance
• Problems:
 Impact factor does not tell anything about the quality
 Only certain journals are investigated (observation procedure)
 Book publications mostly do not count (although important)
 Impact factors differ enormously in different disciplines
 Accounting period: only two years

20. Indicators of Journal Performance
• Problems:
 Is used by universities as indicator of research efficiency
 May be a factor for employment decisions
 Journals with high impact factors have high competition, limited space and
high rejection rates.

21. Exploring and Evaluating Scopus Journals
End First Lecture
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22. Selecting
Right Journal
• Define Strategies, Tactics, Online Tools to
Select the Right Journal in Scopus.

23. Author Priorities for Journal Selection
Key (Determining) factors: Marginal (Qualifying) factors:
• Impact Factor • Experience as a referee
• Reputation • Track record
• Access to the target audience • Quality and color illustrations
• Overall editorial standard • Service elements
• Publication speed
• International coverage
• Open Access participating publisher

24. Author Priorities for Journal Selection (INASP)
 Quality / prestige
 Collection / Specialization
 Habit / previous publication
 Speed / time delay

25. What is Right Journal?
 Increase the chance of getting accepted.
 Popular and respected in the field.
 High rank in the field
 High impact factor
 Fast
 No publication fees if possible
 My work is Read & Cited

26. Introduction
• Publication in a peer-reviewed journal is the obvious goal of most research
projects. It is through publication that your research reaches others in the
field, advancing knowledge and encouraging communication between
groups with similar research goals.
• One of the most important—and possibly the least well understood—
aspects of the publication process is the choice of a suitable journal that is
likely to accept your work.

27. Introduction
• Submitting a manuscript to an unsuitable journal is one of the most
common mistakes made by authors, and both novice and seasoned
researchers are capable of making this error.

28. Choose The Right Journal for Your
Research
What are the Aims and Scope of the Journal?
• This information is usually readily available on the journal’s homepage.
Look for a section titled “About the Journal”, “Full Aims and Scope”, or
something similar.
• Browsing through this page will provide you with key information about
whether your research might be a good match for the journal.

29. Choose The Right Journal for Your
Research
Has the Journal Published Articles that are
Similar to yours?
• Once you have identified a few journals that might be likely to publish your
manuscript based on their broad aims and scope, consider performing a
search with the keywords (or title) of your manuscript to determine whether
the journal has published work that is similar to yours. Aim to identify 3-5
papers published within the last 5 years and try to determine whether
these papers are similar to yours in quality and scope.

30. Choose The Right Journal for Your
Research
What are the Journal’s Restrictions?
• Submission to a journal that does not accept the type of article you’ve
written is a surefire way to be rejected immediately. For example, some
journals, such as the British Journal of Surgery, do not publish case reports.
Thus, it is essential to check the “Information for Authors” section of your
target journal to determine the journal’s restrictions. It is also important to
note restrictions related to word count.

31. Choose The Right Journal for Your
Research
What is the Impact Factor(IF) or CiteScore?
• The validity of the impact factor as a metric for journal quality is
controversial due to the many factors that can influence the rating achieved
and the fact that not all of these factors are directly related to the quality of
the publications within the journal. Nevertheless, the impact factor remains
the default method for determining the quality and reputation of a journal.

32. Online Journal Selectors
Top 7 Online Selector Tools Website
Elsevier Journal Finder http://journalfinder.elsevier.com
IEEE Publication Recommender http://publication-recommender.ieee.org/home
Springer Journal Suggester http://journalsuggester.springer.com
Edanz Journal Selector https://en-author-services.edanzgroup.com/journal-
selector
Journal Article Name Estimator (JANE) http://jane.biosemantics.org
Cofactor Journal Selector http://cofactorscience.com/journal-selector
Journal Guide https://www.journalguide.com

33. Top Reasons Why MSs is Rejected?
 Submission to the wrong journal.
 No originality.
 Poor English Grammar.
 Incomplete or outdated review of literature.
 Not clear methodology.
 Conclusions not support by data.
 Failing to address reviewer’s & editors comments and suggestions.

34. Response to reviewers comments
 Don’t get angry.
 Don’t take it personally.
 Be calm and objective.
 Take all comments seriously.
 Don’t ignore any comments.
 Try to make the majority of the changes requested.
 Negotiate the more radical suggestions are needed.

35. Response to Reviewers Comments
 Response to every comment, positive and negative.
 Make changes only if you agree with reviewers.
 Remember that the reviewer is not always right!!
 Response in an appropriate time- don’t miss the deadline!
•Try To Win The Editor!

36. Selecting the Right Scopus Journals
End Second Lecture
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37. Checking
Scopus
Journals
• Refer to the Notes Section below for
Guidelines on this Topic.

38. Checking Scopus Journals
End Third Lecture
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Evaluate Check