(Data collected from Scopus; timespan = 2014-2019)
The Library also offers the following workshops about how to evaluate journals and identify research potentials. Click here to learn more.
PN146 .F87 2012
PE1408 .S48787 2007
RT24 .O37 2010
Z471 .B45 2009
The figure above illustrates the general procedure of publishing a journal article. In reality, you may need to redo a step couple of times, e.g., peer-review and revision, before your paper finally gets accepted. To publish an article, it usually takes several months up to more than one year from manuscript submission to final publication.
To publish a journal article, the first step is to select an appropriate journal. It is a good practice to identify one journal you want to submit your manuscript to before you start writing. This is because you are more likely to get published when you write for a specific journal as compared to finish writing and then identify suitable journals for your paper.
Below lists some tips and library resources that could help you make the decision.
If a journal is indexed in reputable and authoritative databases, such as Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCOhost, ProQuest, and others, it implies that its research papers have met certain criteria and supports its credibility. Checking if a journal is indexed in the Web of Science and/or Scopus could be one of the reliable indicators.
Do take note that the inclusion and exclusion of journal titles indexed in Web of Science and Scopus are determined solely by the database providers' latest policies. To stay updated on this information, it is recommended to refer to their official websites for the latest information.
Here are some tips to verify indexed journal titles in Web of Science and Scopus:
- Utilize the Master Journal List by conducting a search
Please note that the Master Journal List is updated on an at least monthly basis, but some journal profile data is updated on a daily or weekly basis. To verify if a recently added title is available in Web of Science, you can directly search in the database.
- Register for an account to download the following files on the Master Journal List website:
> Web of Science Core Collection title list
> Monthly Changes Archive (including recently accepted and delisted titles for the recent 5 months)
> Additional Web of Science Indexes
Download the complete list of titles. The latest acceptance titles and discontinued sources will both be listed in the document. These titles are updated 2-3 times per year and include only journals and books with substantial coverage in Scopus at the time of the update. To verify if a recently added title is available in Scopus, you can directly search within the Scopus database. For further details on the content coverage of Scopus, please refer to this Guide.
To evaluate a journal in a specific area, we usually use metrics such as Journal Impact Factor, SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper), SJR (SCImago Journal Rank) and CiteScore. To identify emerging topics in a research area, Essential Science Indicators (ESI) and SciVal are often used.
Notes:
Some publishers also provide handy tools for picking up the best-fit journals automatically. By typing in your paper's title, abstract, or keywords, the tool will generate a list of best-fit journals for your manuscript. Note that most publishers' journal suggesters will only recommend their journals within their own portfolio.
EndNote is a reference management tool. Its online version also provides a function to help you find the most suited journal in Web of Science. Before using this function, you need to register an account for EndNote Web. After login, click on the "Match" tab and input a few pieces of your manuscript. The results allow you to check the Impact Factor of the matched journals and similar articles to your manuscript.
- Click here to explore other functions of EndNote Online.
- Click here to know what are JCR and Impact Factor.
Many publishers provide helpful guides and tutorials for authors regarding how to get published. Below lists a few examples: (Most of them publish in multidisciplinary fields)
► Elsevier - Publishing with Elsevier: step by step
► Springer - How to Publish? - Step by Step (interactive tutorial)
Nature - Writing for a Nature journal
► IEEE - Publish with IEEE journals, conferences, etc. (mainly in electronic and electrical engineering field)
► Taylor & Francis - Author Services Supporting T&F Authors
► Wiley - Guideline for Journal Authors
► SAGE - How to Get Published (mainly in education, business and management field)
► Emerald - Author How To Guides (mainly in business and management field)
- from Taylor & Francis editor
As Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) technologies are evolving over time, it is important for authors to understand how the technologies should be used in preparing their work for publishing.
Do GenAI Tools qualify as Authors?
Major publishers have addressed the use of GenAI in their publication. According to the publisher's policies, GenAI tools, Large Language Models (LLMs), and chatbots (e.g. ChatGPT) do not meet authorship criteria because they are not accountable for providing accuracy, originality, and integrity of the work. As a result, they should not be listed or cited as authors in manuscripts or published articles.
Can you use GenAI Tools in publishing?
The major publishers do not permit AI-generated text or images in manuscripts or published articles. The use of GenAI tools should only be used in these two circumstances:
It is the authors’ responsibility to ensure that the full content generated by AI is accurate. If GenAI tools are employed, authors must explicitly declare which Generative AI tool was used, for what purpose, and how it was used in Materials / Methods / Acknowledgements section (or similar section) of their publication, along with proper citations.
However, the final decision about whether use of GenAI tools is permissible in submission is subject to the publication’s editorial policy.
Author should regularly review publishers’ policies and also check specific requirements of individual journals in using GenAI tools.
The following is a list of publishers’ policies on the use of GenAI:
To prepare your manuscripts or communicate your research findings, you may use AI Tools for the following purposes:
Here are some examples of AI tools for publishing:
ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a unique book identifier. It allows efficient and accurate identification of book titles, publishers, and places of publication. In Hong Kong, the Books Registration Office is responsible for all book registrations, including assignment of ISBNs to books. No application fee is required. Relevant forms can be downloaded here.
If you register your publication with the Books Registration Office, you will need to submit 5 copies of each title under the Books Registration Ordinance. This is what you need to do if you publish a book for yourself. Also, you will need to go to the Books Registration Office in Lai Chi Kok for identification (of documents) and form submission. However, if you ask a publisher to publish your title, they will handle all the necessary procedures for you. Visit the source link below for more details.
Source: https://www.hkpl.gov.hk/en/about-us/services/book-registration/isbn.html