Tool helps to identify journals for the publication of scientific articles

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Agência FAPESP* –By Elton Alisson
Agência FAPESP – In the process of preparing scientific articles, choosing the right periodical in which to publish one’s research represents one of the greatest challenges for researchers from China—a country that has one of the highest growth rates in scientific production worldwide.
This article describes one of the findings of a study conducted with 333 Chinese scientists that regularly publish through the Edanz Group, a consulting firm that helps non-English speaking researchers publish their manuscripts in international journals. 
When questioned about the main obstacles that they identified during preparation of a scientific article for publication, 118 of the Chinese researchers indicated that choosing a scientific journal was a major obstacle. 
Another 70 participants in the study affirmed that they had difficulty expressing their ideas clearly in English—the “official” language of science, whereas an additional 73 scientists indicated problems understanding the periodicals’ guidelines for authors. And 63 participants stated that they had difficultly formatting their articles in accordance with the guidelines for authors.
“Identifying a periodical that will publish their articles still represents a problem not only for researchers in China but also for those in other countries,” comments Daniel McGowan, scientific director of the Edanz Group.
On March 21, McGowan participated in a workshop entitled “How to Write for and Get Published in Scientific Journals—Practical Advice on how to Publish Successfully Following International Norms in the Scientific Communication Area,” organized by the Foundation for Research Support of the State of Sao Paulo (FAPESP) and Springer Brazil.
In addition to facilitating the process of identifying periodicals, the company launched a free tool that identifies journals that might be good options for the publication of specific articles. Upon typing in the abstract, key phrases, or a text sample in the main field, the tool provides a list of periodicals that publish articles in areas related to the research topic discussed in the article.
The users of this service can refine the results of the search based on publication-specific criteria such as frequency of circulation, impact factor, publication model, and whether a journal is open access.
The program also provides basic information on the recommended publications and a list of articles related to the topic of study that the scientific journals have published recently. Based on this information, all the user has to do is visit the websites of the publications of interest to decide where to submit the article. 
“Many researchers do not consider the reader profile of a certain publication when submitting an article, and this is an important factor that can determine the acceptance or rejection of an article,” stated McGowan.
One of the tips that McGowan shared with the audience filling the auditorium of Espaço Apas was to base the selection of a periodical on an honest evaluation of the article, including aspects related to the novelty of the research, its relevance, and its potential impacts within a particular research area.
“One must evaluate the real advances the research presents in comparison with what has already been published,” said McGowan. In order to estimate the appeal of the research, the author must determine the real applications of the discovery and ascertain whether they extend to other areas.
“In the medical area, for example, some possible questions that can help a researcher evaluate the relevance of a particular scientific study area are: how common is the problem or the disease studied, and does it affect a specific population or is it restricted to a given geographic region?” stated McGowan.
According to McGowan, possible reasons for rejection by a given scientific journal are unknown requirements of the periodical, problems with citations, the research objectives, and the presentation of research data, in addition to grammar issues, poor writing style, and inappropriate choice of periodical.

<p><b>By Elton Alisson</b></p>
<p><b>Agência FAPESP</b> – In the process of preparing scientific articles, choosing the right periodical in which to publish one’s research represents one of the greatest challenges for researchers from China—a country that has one of the highest growth rates in scientific production worldwide.</p>
<p>This article describes one of the findings of a study conducted with 333 Chinese scientists that regularly publish through the Edanz Group, a consulting firm that helps non-English speaking researchers publish their manuscripts in international journals. </p>
<p>When questioned about the main obstacles that they identified during preparation of a scientific article for publication, 118 of the Chinese researchers indicated that choosing a scientific journal was a major obstacle. </p>
<p>Another 70 participants in the study affirmed that they had difficulty expressing their ideas clearly in English—the “official” language of science, whereas an additional 73 scientists indicated problems understanding the periodicals’ guidelines for authors. And 63 participants stated that they had difficultly formatting their articles in accordance with the guidelines for authors.</p>
<p>“Identifying a periodical that will publish their articles still represents a problem not only for researchers in China but also for those in other countries,” comments Daniel McGowan, scientific director of the Edanz Group.</p>
<p>On March 21, McGowan participated in a workshop entitled “How to Write for and Get Published in Scientific Journals—Practical Advice on how to Publish Successfully Following International Norms in the Scientific Communication Area,” organized by the Foundation for Research Support of the State of Sao Paulo (FAPESP) and Springer Brazil.</p>
<p>In addition to facilitating the process of identifying periodicals, the company <b><a href="http://www.edanzediting.com/journal_selector/" target="_blank">launched a free tool</a></b> that identifies journals that might be good options for the publication of specific articles. Upon typing in the abstract, key phrases, or a text sample in the main field, the tool provides a list of periodicals that publish articles in areas related to the research topic discussed in the article.</p>
<p>The users of this service can refine the results of the search based on publication-specific criteria such as frequency of circulation, impact factor, publication model, and whether a journal is open access.</p>
<p>The program also provides basic information on the recommended publications and a list of articles related to the topic of study that the scientific journals have published recently. Based on this information, all the user has to do is visit the websites of the publications of interest to decide where to submit the article. </p>
<p>“Many researchers do not consider the reader profile of a certain publication when submitting an article, and this is an important factor that can determine the acceptance or rejection of an article,” stated McGowan.</p>
<p>One of the tips that McGowan shared with the audience filling the auditorium of Espaço Apas was to base the selection of a periodical on an honest evaluation of the article, including aspects related to the novelty of the research, its relevance, and its potential impacts within a particular research area.</p>
<p>“One must evaluate the real advances the research presents in comparison with what has already been published,” said McGowan. In order to estimate the appeal of the research, the author must determine the real applications of the discovery and ascertain whether they extend to other areas.</p>
<p>“In the medical area, for example, some possible questions that can help a researcher evaluate the relevance of a particular scientific study area are: how common is the problem or the disease studied, and does it affect a specific population or is it restricted to a given geographic region?” stated McGowan.</p>
<p>According to McGowan, possible reasons for rejection by a given scientific journal are unknown requirements of the periodical, problems with citations, the research objectives, and the presentation of research data, in addition to grammar issues, poor writing style, and inappropriate choice of periodical.</p>
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