Research by Subject: Scholarly Communication: What resources are available for evaluating journals?

A:

Depending on your field, interest, need, general individual circumstances, and how deeply you wish to dive, there are many potential resources. We will briefly mention three resources that we believe might be the most helpful for a broad range of needs.

Cabell’s Directory of Publishing Opportunities
Cabell’s has two sections. The Journalytics section provides information about how to publish in academic journals, including submission guidelines, review process, and acceptance rates. The Predatory Reports section provides insight into journals that have been flagged as engaging in potentially predatory practices and reports on what the red flags in their practices are.
Web of Science Journal Citation Reports:
Journal Citation Reports is integrated with and accessed from the Web of Science-Core Collections. It provides information about academic journals in the natural sciences and social sciences, including ranking by impact factors, the immediacy of citations, and the median age of cited materials. Journal Citation Reports is the official resource for journal impact factor, which can be helpful in evaluating a journal’s relative citation rate within the field.
Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ):
The DOAJ is a large directory and index of open access journals. It screens for and provides information about their peer review process, business practices, copyright policies, and other important information. If you know that you want to publish in a Gold or Diamond Open Access journal, this resource can help you find a high-quality resource.