Subject Guide
Looking to publish?
Deciding which journal to submit your manuscript to for publication is multifaceted. Some criteria you might want to consider include:
- What journals do you and your colleagues review on a regular basis?
- Which professional organizations do you belong to? Do they publish journals?
- What's the scope and aim of the journal?
- Is the journal searchable in the major databases, such as PubMed or CINAHL?
- What's the prestige of the journal in your field and in health literature in general?
- Quantifiable measurements are called Impact Factors (IF).
Below you'll find links to resources that might help you with your decision. But don't be afraid to ask for advice! Talk to your colleagues, advisors/mentors, librarian, etc.
Help writing/submitting your article:
- Instructions to Authors in the Health SciencesThis website links to websites that provide instructions to authors regarding submitting manuscripts to 6000+ journals in the health sciences. Search by exact journal title or keywords within the journal title.
- Guide to Scientific Writing - American Association for Clinical ChemistryThis free resource is made up of a series of educational articles on how to "design and write scientific research papers for publication." The articles are helpful to a wide variety of disciplines, not just chemistry. Just remember that ultimately you need to follow the requirements of the journal you're submitting to and/or your citation style (APA).
Choosing a journal based on topic:
- Jane - Journal/Author Name EstimatorJane is a search engine that you can use to come up with journals that might be interested in publishing your research. It works by matching words from your abstract or author-supplied keywords to the millions of records in PubMed/MEDLINE.
Choosing a journal based on its reputation:
- Journal Citation ReportsThe Journal Citation Reports weighs and ranks journals by a number of criteria, including total cites and the Impact Factor. You can search for a specific journal in JCR or browse by subject categories. Our subscription covers 2010 to the present (delayed 1 year). Contact the library if you'd like help using this resource.
Choosing a journal based on whether its searchable in databases: