Getting Published

Journal Publishing

As part of the Excellence for Research in Australia (ERA) assessment a list of quality journals and conferences has been compiled. Check these lists for suitable publication vehicles.

One factor to consider when selecting journals for publication is the scholarly merit of the publication. Journal Impact is a good starting point to help you determine the best journals in your field.

Impact factors

The Impact factor of a journal is often considered highly relevant when determining a suitable vehicle in which to publish your research. The impact factor is a number derived by dividing the number of citations to articles published over a two year period in a particular journal, by the number of articles published in the same journal over the same two year period. The impact factor denotes the anticipated average number of times an article in a journal will be cited over a two year period. So theoretically, the higher the impact factor, the more prestigious the journal.

Impact factors should not be used in isolation

An impact factor as a simple number is relatively meaningless. It is often more useful to note that the journal you are interested in ranks 6th out of 106 journals in the field.

• Select either Science or Social Science Edition;
• Select View a group of journals by subject category and submit;
• Select a subject category, sort by impact factor and submit;
• The total number of journals in that field is indicated and they are ranked in ascending order.

• To determine the discipline and ranking of a specific journal select Search for a specific journal, click into the journal title, then into Journal Rank in Category