Top Practices for publishing in academic journals

Last updated on December 12th, 2024 at 11:14 am

Specifically for first-time authors, publishing in academic journals can be intimidating and complex, involving the evaluation of several salient features and journal criteria of the journals under consideration.

This article offers a simple, step-by-step process with valuable suggestions for every stage of the publishing journey.

What are the Benefits of Publishing in Academic Journals?

A published research paper can establish you as a scholar in your field of specialization and some of its key benefits will include:

Types of Journals

Primarily, there are both paid and free [Open-Access] journals available for research paper publication. and several things to think about when deciding between the two.

Tip: Stay away from lesser-known journals or predatory journals .

Selecting the right journal

Before you begin selecting a journal, ask and find answers to these questions:

1. Does the journal have a relevant readership [same field]?
2. Has this journal published research papers similar to yours?
3. Is your manuscript in line with what the journal usually publishes?
4. In your opinion, which high-impact journals would be most appropriate for your field?
5. What is the journal’s track record; How often do they ask for revisions?
6. Is this journal an open-access type or is it subscription-based?

Preferably, choose a journal that employs a peer-review process before accepting a research paper for the following reasons:

• Most peer-reviewed journals use a strict evaluation procedure to ensure they only publish high-quality research papers to preserve academic and scientific integrity and identify erroneous research procedures and outcomes.
• Recognize the peer review process used by the journal of your choice and how it impacts the assessment and publication of your work.
• Make sure the journal you select gets your study effective feedback and comments from people who know what they’re talking about; look for journals with a strong peer review process.
• Assessment: Your work will be evaluated by experts in the area for its scientific rigor, methodology, plagiarism, and its contribution to the field as part of the peer review process.

• Choose a credible publication (Elsevier, Springer, Taylor & Francis, Pubmed, among others) that publishes articles pertinent to your area of study. Consider their impact factor, reputation, audience, breadth, and indexing in pertinent databases of the journal.

• Consider, the volume of its readership. For instance, if Journal ‘A’ perfectly matches your subject area but has a very limited audience, and Journal ‘B’ is also relevant but not as relevant as Journal A but has a target audience of thousands of readers, it is advisable to select the latter.

Tips: Think about how your research goals and the type of manuscript you’re writing will align with each other. View a list of good open-access and conference journals preferably those that are peer-reviewed.

Also, ensure it is accessible to like-minded readers like scholars in the same subject, or related fields, or the intended target audience. Of course, your best bet is the journals you read regularly. Preferably, select the journals that you’re familiar with their style, their standards, and the kind of content they’re looking for.

It will help to talk to a librarian or a professor in your field for suggestions about quality journals.

• Journal Impact Factor: This statistic shows how many cited papers published in a specific journal are typically published. It can give you a sense of how influential and widely read the publication is among researchers.

• Databases and Indexing: Think about whether your field-specific academic databases and search engines, such as Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, or Scopus, index this journal. Having your study indexed makes it more discoverable and visible.
• The Reputation of Journals and Field-Specific Factors: The selection procedure is highly dependent on reputation. Look for publications that have a solid reputation in your area of study. It is not necessary to base your evaluation of a journal’s quality on its impact factor alone.

Tips: To find out which journals are highly recognized in your field, ask around among your advisers, mentors, and coworkers.

In addition to the impact factor, other metrics and indicators should be considered when evaluating the quality of a journal.

One such statistic is provided by Altmetrics, which evaluates the online attention and social media influence of published papers. The impact and breadth of your study can be better understood with the help of these measures.

Getting Your manuscript Ready

Journals typically accept different types of manuscripts, such as original research articles, reviews, perspectives, case studies, conference papers, and more. Consider the type of manuscript you must write that aligns best with your research findings and objectives.

Get your manuscript ready: Once you have identified your intended journal for publication, modify and format the research paper according to the journal’s specific guidelines (like line spacing, font size, style, figure saving format (.tiff, .jpeg,.eps,..), reference style, etc.

Different formats are required for different types of manuscripts that are distinctive to each publication. It is crucial to remember that various journals have varied requirements for the submission of tables, figures, and Annexures [supplemental materials].

Tip: The journal’s website usually has this information available, along with Word and LaTeX formatting templates.

Assessment: Your work will be evaluated by experts in the area for its scientific rigor, methodology, and its contribution to the field as part of the peer review process.

• Evaluate and Edit the Manuscript: You must thoroughly proofread your manuscript a couple of times to double-check for grammatical, spelling, punctuation errors, and most importantly ensure it is palagiarism-free.

Remember, a poorly proofread manuscript can be a huge dampener and can be rejected. If in doubt, seek assistance from your supervisor or other knowledgeable sources.

• Supplemental Materials [Annexurees]: Datasets, code, videos, or extra figures can be included as supplemental materials with research papers in some publications.

To make your study more reproducible and to give more useful information, consider using supplementary materials.

• Authorship and Author Contributions: Specify exactly what constitutes an author, and make sure that everyone who has contributed significantly to the study is given due credit as an author. Be open and honest about the roles, contributions, and duties that each author has in the document.

Read all the author guidelines that the journal has supplied. The precise formatting specifications, citation style, and the manuscript structure required by the journal are described in these guidelines.

• Ethical Considerations: Make sure that the ethical rules and values that apply to your area are followed throughout your study. This entails getting the required approvals, protecting the welfare of any research participant; whether they be humans or animals; and handling any conflicts of interest or potential biases.
• Originality and Plagiarism: Verify that the information in your paper is unique and free of plagiarism. To properly credit other people’s work, use citations and references. Plagiarism can have serious repercussions, such as having your reputation damaged and having the published work retracted permanently.

Submission process: It is recommended to usie the online method to submit to the journal, or you can choose a method of your choice.

Title Page: Ensure to include the whole title, all the authors in the provided structured format, the abstract, relevant keywords, and all the mandatory sections required in a research paper before your submission

• Follow-up: After your manuscript has been approved, you will need to fill out any further documentation that may be required, such as a copyright transfer agreement, before it can be published.

After reviewing your manuscript, the journal will decide whether to publish it in a particular issue or make it accessible online.

• License and Copyright: You can come across license and copyright agreements when you submit your manuscript.

Depending on the journal, you may be required to give up certain rights to the publisher or may be able to keep some under Creative Commons licenses.

Tip: Before you sign any agreements, be sure you read everything, including the fine-print and fully understand them.

• Publication Schedule: Since each journal is unique, the time it takes to get from submission to publication varies greatly. Make sure you pay attention to the journal’s projected publishing timeframe. If your research or assignments are time-sensitive or have tight deadlines, ensure to prepare appropriately.
• Article processing charges (APCs) are a common way for open-access journals to recoup some of the expenses associated with publishing an article. Whether you want to publish in an open-access publication or not depends on your budget and the funds you have available, as the costs differ among journals.

For writers from low-income backgrounds or those facing financial difficulties, some publications provide reductions or even full payment exemptions.

Precautionary measures

To ensure you are on the right track, it will benefit to check and follow these critical guidelines:

• Preferably, publish your paper as the sole author.
• Be wary of supervisors or mentors who perpetuate the myth that having prominent figures (like themselves) as co-authors is a prerequisite for publishing in peer-reviewed international publications. Nothing can be further from the truth! Preferably stay away from them if possible.

• Avoid showing your manuscript to people you don’t trust. Some supervisors/professors will assign their names to it before returning it to you. In tricky situations assert yourself at the outset that you are not seeking any co-authorship, and erase their name. You may need to emphasize that their contribution was insufficient to be considered for co-authorship.

“Believe in your abilities and ignore the myth that scientists work together as a community. academic parasites and predators are plentiful.”

• Avoid Beall’s list of predatory journals at all costs. You won’t receive any recognition for your articles published in them, as they’re fake. Do not submit an article to a journal if you cannot verify its presence on the Thomsen-Reuters ISI list;

Remember, most legitimate journals don’t charge to publish research.

Useful Suggestions

1. For a free and quick publication, you can upload it to arxiv.org. Keep in mind, that it is not a peer-reviewed publication. It is just a repository of scientific papers, which can be accessed online. Alternatively, you can publish at no charge on Academia.edu. You can also publish your research paper as a free e-book on Smashwords.com.

Also, you can always publish your research paper in any peer-reviewed journal, whenever you want.

2. Make reading literature on your subject a habit, because fresh research is always being released. Don’t ever think that you have read enough, especially if it’s a topic related to your field of study.

3. Make sure to take notes while you work on this! When writing your research paper, remember to include the citation details for each of the sources you studied, along with any insightful information you found.

4. Use storage, referencing, and citation software like Zotero or Mendeley Find one that suits you best.

5. Realize that academic publishing is inherently competitive and might take a lot of time. Research papers sometimes go through several modifications before they are finally accepted. If you want your manuscript to be near perfect, get input from mentors or coworkers, but also be ready for rejection.

6. Ensure to revise your work carefully and that the revised version addresses all the reviewers’ recommondations and is re-submitted within the stipulated period. Some journals set high standards, and it is not uncommon for papers to be rejected.

7. Consider the feedback and recommendations provided by the reviewers. All comments must be addressed in depth, and any concerns or suggestions must be handled with clear, concise corrections.

8. To make your research paper is more readable and clear, think about hiring a language editor or proofreader, especially if English is not your first language or if you need help with writing. Some journals give suggestions for professional editing services or offer language editing services themselves.

9. Consider sharing your research as a preprint before or during the submission process. Preprint servers, such as arXiv, bioRxiv, or others specific to your field, allow researchers to share their work openly before a formal peer review.

This can help you receive early feedback, establish priority by increasing the visibility of your research paper.

FAQ’s

Conclusion

Publishing your research paper in a credible journal is a good avenue to make your presence felt in the academic world.

Realize that publication may be a competitive and time-consuming process. Before being accepted, manuscripts sometimes go through several rounds of modifications. To improve your manuscript, get input from mentors or coworkers and be ready for possible rejections.

Also, understand that publication is only one way to share your study with others. To reach a larger audience and promote cooperation in your area, it’s also critical to disseminate your discoveries through conferences, preprint servers, academic networks, and other channels.

Remember that the publishing landscape is continuously evolving, and new publishing models, platforms, and practices may emerge. Stay updated with the latest developments in your field and adapt your publishing strategy accordingly.

Additionally, seeking guidance from experienced researchers, mentors, or academic writing support services at your institution can provide valuable insights and assistance throughout the publishing process.

From my experiences with resaerch paper journal publishing, the unfortunate part that no one cautions you about is the presence of lurking predators. Try and recognize possible sources early and keep your distance from them!

As always, if you have any queries, feel free to reach out to me at: navjyotgill23@gmail.com

Navjyot Gill

My journey in academia began as a dedicated researcher, specializing in the fascinating world of biochemistry. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of mentoring Master’s and PhD students, collaborating on research papers that pushed the boundaries of knowledge.
Now, post-retirement, I’ve embarked on a new chapter, sharing my academic expertise through freelance work on platforms like YouTube and Upwork. Here, I investigate the finer points of scholarly research, guiding aspiring writers through the intricacies of formatting, composing compelling narratives, and navigating the publication process.