Getting published: a guide from journal writing to academic impact

Original email from the publisher - does the email contain spelling and grammatical errors? Are you addressed with an incorrect title (e.g. Professor, Doctor, Mr/Mrs/Ms)? 

Review the journal website - check that the website looks professional but be aware of cultural differences. Reputable publishers are open about their approach to consideration and handling of manuscripts and associated quality control processes.  Additionally, reputable journals, tend to have a clear academic subject focus clearly outlined in the aims and scope. Many predatory journals lack this focus and have a very broad subject coverage. Predatory journal websites may be characterised by 

• Spelling and grammatical errors.
• Language/tone which target the authors.
• Images which are distorted/fuzzy, intended to look like something they are not, or unauthorised.
• Contact email addresses which are non-professional and non-journal affiliated (e.g., @gmail.com or @yahoo.com)
• Lack of information about how journal content will be digitally preserved.

Manuscript handing, quality process - information about this should be readily available. In particular, look for the following:

• Is the retraction process clearly outlined and supportive of the authors?
• Are manuscripts requested via email or email attachment rather than a submission system? 
• Are copyright/copyright transfer agreements mentioned? If the publisher claims to operate under an Open Access model then check whether a Creative Commons or other type of open license is being applied. The publisher should also be clear about the rights the author will retain after publication. Authors MUST check that a journal’s copyright/copyright transfer agreements do not conflict with funder requirements.
• The peer review process for individual journals should be clearly outlined and guidelines for authors and reviewers should be easily accessible and clearly defined.  Beware of the promise of fast peer review periods, as this may indicate a less than robust process

Editorial board - information about the Journal Editorial Board should be easily available. The Board should include recognised experts in the subject field of the journal. It can be useful to check the web presence of members of the Journal Editorial Board.

Association membership - if a journal claims to be supporting Open Access, then check if it is a member of either the Open Access Scholarly Publishers’ Association (OASPA) or the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). It is also worth checking that the publisher belongs to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) which maintains a code of conduct for publishers.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI) - a DOI is a unique and persistent number assigned to journal articles, books and other works. Check that there are DOIs for previously published articles indexed by CrossRef? 

Fees - details of any author fees should be clearly explained prior to publication and easily accessible to potential authors. Be concerned if:

• the Article Processing/Publication Charge (APC) is very low (e.g., < $150 USD) or extortionate and not comparable to other publishers? 
• additional ‘hidden’ fees are raised during the publication process.
• Fees are being asked for prior to acceptance and publication i.e. at the submission stage, although please note that some reputable journals do also ask for a fee at this stage.

Seek advice and guidance from an experienced researcher colleague(s). Have they ever worked with the publisher, if not why not?

When considering publishing in a journal, particularly if this is based on an email invitation, if something does not feel right with the publisher, investigate further and if concerns remain look at alternative journals.