Library Instruction and Support For Faculty & Staff

Where to Publish

Choosing where, when, and how to publish can be daunting for even the most prolific researchers - this guide is designed to give you a baseline understanding of the differences between publishing formats, reputability of publishers, and any restrictions or obstacles you might face. Please be aware that the library can only present you with the knowledge and sources to help you make a decision - not to give advice or sway you one way or another. 

Things to consider when choosing a journal: 

• Fit/ Scope 
  • Does the journal feature other research topics that are similar to your own? Is the journal niche or broad? What kind of audience are you hoping to capture by choosing a particular journal?
• Impact
  • Journal impact measures the reach and importance of a journal. These include things like altmetrics, Open Access, number of citations, and more. 
  • Journal Impact Factors (JIF) measure the frequency of citations an average article has in a journal over the course of a year. It can be mistaken for an articles quality - this is not the case. It could be a poor article that has been cited a lot. There are several limitations of an impact factor. 
    • Impact factors can be manipulated and reflect bias in the reporting.
    • An Impact factor should not be used as a measure for journal quality or author quality/expertise
    • Impact factors should not be used as a reliable measure for cross-discipline journal comparisons
  • Where can I find Impact factors at MSOE?  
    • Some databases will include some type of impact factor statistic. It may be a JIF or H-index, etc. Not all of them do and you may need to do some calculations on your own. For example MSOE library does not have a subscription to Web of Science which houses the Journal Citation Report database. Google Scholar is a decent alternative to finding the numbers for a particular researcher. 
      • H-index measures the productivity and citation impact of a researcher's article and gives an easy visual to assess the author's contributions to their field. It combines the number of articles a researcher has produced and the number of citations that article gains over time. While not perfect, it is widely used by journals, institutions, and individual researchers. 
• Quality
  • The quality of a journal can be determined by things like credibility, academic rigor, and accessibility. Questions to ask: Is the journal peer-reviewed? What are their standards of evaluation? Does the journal have a poor reputation or known as predatory? What are they offering you in a contract?
• Transparency 
  • The peer review process is clearly described 
  • Their governing board members credentials are clearly laid out and easily verified
  • Contact information should be easily accessible 
  • Fees or costs should be clearly stated and easy to find before a manuscript is submitted
  • Copyright and licensing should be easy to find and clearly stated on the publisher's website
  • The publisher should have an accessible process for identifying, preventing, and dealing with research misconduct - this can include data manipulation, citation tampering, plagiarism, etc. 
  • Ownership, management, and leadership of a publication should be detailed and easy to find
  • Name of the journal should be unique and hard to confuse with other publications - readers should be able to discern between two journals easily 
  • Any conflicts of interest should be disclosed in an easy to find location
  • How a publication grants access to its articles should be stated
  • Any revenue sources - author fees, subscriptions, grants, advertising, organizational/ institutional support, etc. - should be clearly posted on the publisher site
  • A publishing schedule of how often a publication is printed or released should be clearly stated
  • Any archival or preservation of content, both during active publication and after a publication has been discontinued, should be clearly indicated

Book Publishing

Choosing a book publisher can mean looking for a press or other organization who is able to print and share your work at a larger scale. Here are a few things to consider:

• Ask your colleagues
  • Get recommendations for publishers that they have used and liked
  • Follow up by looking into that publisher to see what they have published recently
• Use your favorite books in the field
  • Where are you getting your scholarly works from?
  • Would they be a good fit for your work?
• Look at award winning books
  • Who publishes those works?
  • Does your work fit the scope of their publication?
• Check publisher's websites or catalogs 
  • what is their recently published lists look like?
  • are they well known? Good reputation? award-winning? etc. 
  • has anyone reviewed that publisher? what is their experience with them?
• Check the Association of University Presses website
  • they offer a subject area grid that allows you to browse and compare companies/ publishers

Finding an Editor

While you're looking into publishers, you will want to hire an editor to help polish and refine your work. Publisher's websites will often list out their requirements for editors as well as provide contacts to editors they have worked with in the past. Once you have found someone you'd like to work with there are several ways to get in contact:

• Email - This is the most typical way for a writer to approach an editor. Editors will be used to this practice, so its okay to reach out even if you don't know the person.
  • Keep your email brief, clear, and professional. 
  • Give a short description of your work 
  • You can attach a proposal at this stage but it is not necessary for an introduction unless requested
• Introductions - If you're able to having a colleague or connection introduce you to an editor can be beneficial to getting your work published. 
  • Can be done via virtual meeting or in-person
• Attending Conferences - Conferences are not just for professional development but networking too! If an editor is at the same conference you are - introduce yourself! 
  • Be aware that the editor may not have a lot of time during the conference. Be sure to catch them before or after the main sessions.
  • If you're looking for a longer interaction - set up an appointment. 

If you have suggestions for how to make this page better, please contact Elizabeth Jerow, Library Director (jerow@msoe.edu).