There are many ways to find scholarly journals to publish in:

• One way is to ask your instructors and find out where they and other students are publishing. Many people begin their publishing journey by getting involved in a paper that is being written by a professor or academic who has already published. This method allows students to understand what the publishing process is like under a more experienced author. It is recommended to talk to your professors and advisors about publishing opportunities to see if there is a paper topic you would be interested in joining. 
• Another way to find a journal is organically. Pay attention to where an article or paper you are reading comes from. Depending on where you are accessing the paper, there will usually be a link to the journal website. Look for a tab for “Publish," “Authors” or "Submission Guidelines" to find information on how to publish.

Think. Check. Submit:

• When choosing a journal to submit to, follow the Think. Check. Submit. guidelines to determine if the publication is the right fit. Follow the checklist below to ensure you are submitting your manuscript to a trusted journal: 

  • Do you or your colleagues know the journal? 

  • Can you easily identify and contact the publisher? 

  • Is the journal clear about the type of peer review it uses? 

  • Are articles indexed and/or archived in dedicated services? 

  • Is it clear what fees will be charged? 

  • Are guidelines provided for authors on the publisher website? 

  • Is the publisher a member of a recognized industry initiative? 

Open access vs. subscription journals: 

• Open Access (OA): distribute scholarly content to anyone with internet connection for free. Sometimes open access journals charge the author a fee to publish, know as Article Processing Charges (APCs)
• Subscription journals: Unlike open access journals, subscription journals can only be read by people or institutions that subscribe and pay for their content

Predatory journals:  be wary of journals that are guilty of fraudulent or deceptive practices. Predatory journals often have no peer review process and promise the author immediate payment upon manuscript submission, resulting in low quality and duplicated scholarship. If you have questions concerning predatory journals, reach out to the Scholarly Communications department at lib-impact@uiowa.edu.

• Some examples of fraudulent practices include:
  • the journal promises peer review turnaround time of only a week or two (or less!).
  • there is no mention of copy-editing.
  • the journal website has very few articles per issue.
  • the journal is overly broad in scope (i.e., the Iowa Journal of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, and Public Health).
  • the publisher publishes many journals, started at the same time or who all have the same editor.
  • the website says the journal is open access gives little or vague information on fees.
  • there are typos and grammar issues on the website.
  • there is no physical address or phone number for the publisher.
  • false editorial boards
  • no review process
  • a promise of publication if the author pays a fee
  • violating copyright laws
  • aggressively targeting authors for manuscripts through email

 Checklist adapted from Scholarly Publishing in the Health Sciences guide.