Choosing a venue

Sending a paper to the wrong venue wastes months. Choose deliberately.

Questions to ask

1. Scope: does the venue publish papers like yours? Read its aims and scope, and look at recent issues.
2. Audience: who do you want to read it? Specialists, or a broad audience?
3. Fit with your references: where were the papers you cite most published? That's often your venue.
4. Article type: does it accept your kind of paper (full paper, short paper, dataset, review)?
5. Timeline: how long does review take? Is there a deadline?
6. Cost: are there publication fees? Are waivers available?
7. Legitimacy: is it a real, reputable venue?

Check legitimacy

You met predatory journals in Reading and Reviewing Papers. As an author, check before submitting:

• Is it indexed in databases like Scopus, Web of Science or the DOAJ (for open-access journals)?
• Do you or your supervisor know people who published or reviewed there?
• Is the editorial board real, and are its members experts in the field?
• Does it promise unusually fast acceptance?

The Think. Check. Submit. website has a checklist.

Aim realistically

Aim high, but not blindly. A paper rejected from four top venues has lost a year. Ask your supervisor where similar work was accepted.

RememberPick a venue where your references were published, whose readers you want, and that you've checked is legitimate.