Support for postgraduate students and researchers: Where to publish

Useful Tips

• Increase your citation frequency
• How to publish - a Springer step by step guide

Accredited Journals

Accredited Journals are recognised research output that meets the specific criteria set by the Department of Higher Education (DHET) in South Africa. Once a journal meets the DHET requirements, a subsidy is awarded to the academic institution. Should you consider to publish in a journal visit the Division for Research Development at Stellenbosch University to view the DHET list

Open Access Journals

The aim of the DOAJ is to increase the visibility and ease of use of open access scientific and scholarly journals, thereby promoting their increased usage and impact. The DOAJ aims to be comprehensive and cover all open access scientific and scholarly journals that use a quality control system to guarantee the content. In short, the DOAJ aims to be THE one stop shop for users of open access journals. Access Directory of Open Access Journals

Journal Metrics

Journal Citation reports are used to provide information about academic journals  as well its impact factors. Visit the sites listed below to search for the journal you are wishing to publish in:

• Journal Citation Reports: Clarivate Analytics InCItes journal impact factor resource to evaluate and compare journals
• Scopus CiteScore: A metric to track journal performances and impact

Consider the following

• Elsevier Journal Finder: helps you find journals that could be best suited for publishing your article
• Springer journal suggestor helps you identifying journals for your article

   Always check any journal on the accredited list before you submit your paper

You can find journals to publish in using Scopus, Web of Science or (for Open Access journals) DOAJ.

The videos below demonstrate how to find Open Access journals relating to plant science in DOAJ and Scopus.

Think. Check. Submit. is a great tool to help you figure out if a journal is predatory - it lists all the questions you should be asking.

Predatory Journals

• The extent of South African authored articles in predatory journals by Johann Mouton and Astrid Valentine
• Shamseer's article  identifies 13 evidence-based characteristics by which predatory journals may potentially by distinguished
• NRF Statement on Predatory Journals & Deceptive Publishers
• Visit Prof DH Kaye's Flaky Academic Journals
• Cost-benefit Assessment of Congresses, Meetings or Symposia, and Selection Criteria to Determine if They are Predatory
• Research integrity corner: Special issue on predatory journals
• Possible Predatory Journals - list of possible predatory journals