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Writing and Publishing Scientific Articles
Choosing a Particular Journal Learn as much as you can about the journal you are considering by checking a few issues of the journal and by reading the journal’s instructions to authors. Instructions to authors can be found in the journal, on the journal’s Web site, and at www.mco.edu/lib/instr/ libinsta.html. You can also call the journal office if you have specific questions. Here are additional characteristics to consider in selecting your target journal: Range of topics covered, as described in the instructions to authors Types of articles in the journal Frequency of publication
Rejection rate Review time Possibility a journal will publish your particular article Journal ranking (impact factor)
The impact factor is a measure of how “important” a journal is on the basis of how many times articles in the journal get cited in other journals. Journal Citation Reports lists impact factors by field (biochemistry and molecular biology, for example). However, the rankings may be skewed by the types of articles a journal publishes. For instance, a review journal may have a high impact factor because a few of its reviews are widely cited, but in this case, the high impact factor may not reflect the journal’s true importance in the field.
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