How to choose a journal to submit your manuscript?

[psychdocstudent]

Hello, I am planning to submit my thesis, which is related to a cross-cultural validation of a scale related to suicide. I am wondering which journal I should submit to. Is there any website that displays Impact Factors [IF] for psychology journals? Or is there any ranking of journals related to the field of clinical psychology? It's my first manuscript so I would like to hear some of your opinions/advice from your experiences. Thanks a lot!

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[TenaciousGirl]

When I submitted mine, I just looked up journals that my topic would relate to. I found it easier to go to the library and look at them, since they are alphabetical and right in front of me vs. doing a search. I know that isn't much help, but goodluck.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Other people may have different/better systems, but what I'll do when submitting:

1) If you're wanting to find impact factors, I generally use Journal Citation Reports (by Thomson Reuters in their Web of Knowledge).

2) I'll compile a handful of journals of interest, and will then look through the manuscript requirements of each to be sure that my paper meets/can meet them and that the topic is appropriate.

3) If I'm not already familiar with the journal, I'll read through a handful of articles in past issues to get a "feel" for the type of work they generally seem to publish.

4) When stuck or in doubt, I'll ask advisors and/or peers if they have any suggestions; this occurs early in the process if I'm thinking of publishing in journals in an area I'm not very familiar with.

 

[airmont]

Also, check your references for ideas.

 

[Huxwell]

Good suggestions from others in this thread. I believe that you have to buy the impact factor report, so another way of getting a sense of what's out there is to go to the major publisher websites to see their list of journals. I would recommend checking out Elsevier, Taylor and Francis, and Wiley as a start. Often the publisher will have the impact factor on the journal's website. You can also read the aims and scope to make sure that your article matches up; you wouldn't want to send your psychometric article to a therapy journal for instance.

 

[wigflip]

Another potential option might be to look up the "superstars" in your designated subfield, and/or the authors of some of the important papers you are citing, and see where they have published. I am collaborating on an update of a "classic" research note right now, so we're sending our article to the same journal which published the original study.

On the other hand, it might depend on your end goal with publication. One of my profs (not a psychologist) told us not to worry about impact factor--instead identify the audience with whom you want to communicate, and send there. Granted, this might not be the best choice for someone hoping to get a T-T job in the current academic job market...