If you are writing an article for publication, you have probably been gathering and reading related journal articles. Rather than turning to the lists and tools below, you might have more success looking at the journals in your reference list. If these do not seem like good fits, use Google Scholar to find articles that cite some of the same key references that you cite. For example, imagine that you are writing an article about the reliability of information provided by Wikipedia. Perhaps your draft article uses this article as a key source:
Anthony, D., Smith, S. W., & Williamson, T. (2009). Reputation and Reliability in Collective Goods: The Case of the Online Encyclopedia Wikipedia. Rationality and Society, 21(3), 283–306.
Of the articles that cite this article, are any published in journals that are a good fit for your article?
If your reference list or related articles in Google Scholar searches doesn't work for you, browse other trusted databases. In each case, you may have more success by searching for related articles first and then looking for the journals that publish those articles.
Search DOAJ articles for a subject and then use the filters to see the list of journals by frequency.
Search by keyword or MeSH term. Narrow your results to recent years and browse for likely journal titles.
Search by keyword and narrow your results to recent years. Use the “Journal” filter to view journals by frequency.
Although some publishers make automated tools available to help authors select a venue, take these suggestions carefully. Try, for example, JANE, (a suggestion tool based on journals indexed by PubMed).
You will probably discover that a colleague, a mentor, or a librarian can help you find a better fit for your research.
Remember: Before you submit to a journal, check to see if it requires publishing fees. If fees are required, is the journal worth the expense? Think before you submit!
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Criteria adapted from "Open Access Journal Quality Indicators" developed by the Grand Valley State University Libraries, and released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Choose a well-known journal from your research field. Does the journal charge publishing or page fees?
Alternatively, what does it cost to publish in these journals?
