Submitting to the leading journal in your discipline
If you know your discipline well you will already know which are the leading journals in your field. However, if you know the leading journals your peers or competitors will too, which could make it more difficult to get accepted.
| Pros | Cons |
| A large, probably international, readership | The readership may not be your target audience |
| An established reviewer list and editorial team | The competition for publishing will be fierce |
| Media interest and/or a PR team | The time from submission to publication could be lengthy |
| Clearly explained Open Access options | You may not have direct access to the editor or publishers |
Be realistic about the level and uniqueness of your research and submit it to journals accordingly. Other journal titles may have fewer submissions, a readership that more accurately meets your audience, offer a different publishing style or operate under an ethos that you share. Doing some initial legwork at the onset of writing a paper will save you lots of time later on. It can make a big difference between your work being accepted and rejected, between being read and not read or being cited and not cited.
There are people at the university who are experienced in writing for publication. Seek someone out who is a little further along in their publishing and research career and ask them to be your publishing mentor. Remember, general advice on writing and publication can come from a different discipline to your own. You might be surprised at the hints and tips they can share.
