Where to publish your research article: Introduction

This guide has been created as an online version of the workshop "Making important decisions about publishing your research" (pdf version).

The workshop, presented bi-annually, is a hands-on session which covers important factors to help you decide where to publish your research.

Essentially, six aspects related to article publishing are covered:

• Article types and features of a good journal
• The South African research outputs accreditation system
• Citation indicators currently used to evaluate journal performance
• "Open Access” and hybrid options for publication
• Unique author identification; co-authorship and the order of names

What you will learn:

• Ability to make informed decisions about where to publish research by considering the difference between traditional and Open Access (OA) publishing and consulting accredited lists, impact factor and other indicators.
• Employ ‘good practice’ in terms of standardised author name and preservation of research output
• Ability to recognise the features of a good journal 
• Understand DHET’s Research Output Accreditation System including lists of accredited journals: ISI Citation Indexes, IBSS, DoE list of approved journals, European Reference Index for the Humanities
• Use citation Indicators to determine the relative impact of journals (Impact factor and Journal Citation Reports (JCR), SJR, SNIP, Scopus Journal Analyser
• Understand the benefits of OA, where to find OA journals, and where to find funding for OA publishing
• Making your research available in the Institutional Repository
• Register a unique author ID using ResearcherID

How to Book: Consult the library training calendar at http://sun.ac.za.libcal.com

It's a complex environment
New journals have been established and we now have a wider range of outlets that serve as vehicles for our research.

It fills a gap
Workshops on academic writing/authorship, always allude to the importance of choosing the “right” journal, but often don’t provide guidance on how to go about it.

Strategic importance
Where you publish will affect your success as an author and ultimately affect your career.

Making the “right” choice about where you publish can potentially:

• Increase readership
• Increase citations
• Diminish publication lag
• Determine government subsidy
• Influence performance evaluation