Scholarly publishing serves as the primary system for documenting, validating, disseminating, and preserving academic knowledge, while also supporting the professional needs and goals of researchers within their academic communities.

It is highly recommended to publish research outputs in reputable journals to ensure that each contribution (output) is available for researchers, academics and students to be able to find, access and read.

To maximise the impact of any research output it is recommended it be published in either Q1 or Q2 journals.

Scimago

Scimago provides a comprehensive listing of academic journals with the ability to sort by discipline, country and subject categories using various measures. It divides the journals into quartiles with the Quartile 1 (Q1) journals being the most influential. Average citation rates per paper are provided to give an indication of the impact of each journal.

Finding a Journal to Publish Your Research

Identify a short list of quality journals from SciMago and seek the following clarifications:

• Is it peer reviewed?
• What is the journal impact?
• Does the scope of the journal align to your research?
• Can you meet the requirements listed under ‘Instructions for Authors’?

There are a range of tools available to assist in this process. Please see:
Selecting the right journal: a quick guide

Elsevier Journal Finder

Exercise caution with unsolicited emails requesting:

• Open-access publication of your thesis as a book
• Editorial board participation
• Involvement in conferences or journal special issues

These may come from predatory publishers who:

• Exploit the open-access model
• Lack high-quality publishing services
• Prioritize profit over academic integrity

Always verify a publisher's credibility before engaging. You can use this checklist or talk to a Librarian.