Where to publish

Consider the most appropriate type of publication for your research output, be strategic in your publishing choice, and be aware of things to look out for.

  • Journal articles

    When deciding where to publish your article, it is important to be strategic and publish in quality journals 

    Strategic journal selection

    Suggested strategy for selecting a journal to publish in:

    1. Look at where other researchers in your field are publishing and consult with colleagues and mentors (and your supervisor if you are an HDR student) for guidance on which journals are appropriate for your research area.  

    1. Is the journal peer reviewed? Check in UlrichsWeb.

    1. Publish in journals with high impact factors. High impact factors indicate that the journal is respected and significant in its field.

    1. Select a reputable publisher, for some useful tips: Think, Check, Submit >  journals  

  • Books & chapters

    Suggested strategy for publishing your authored research:

    • Select a reputable publisher, for some useful tips: Think, Check, Submit >  books and chapters  

    • Publish with commercial publishers and consider the following: 

      • Check the review and editing process policies.

      • The publisher’s review process – is there a peer review process undertaken by independent qualified experts? 

      • Carefully review your publishing agreement for issues related to royalties, fees and copyright.

      • Know your rights related to copyright and publishing.

      • Open Access publishing can increase the visibility of your work and may be necessary to fulfil grant requirements. 

    • Have you considered publishing your book as an Open Educational Resource (OER) which can be read, shared and reused under a Creative Commons licence? 

    • Chapter publications may involve different copyright and ownership rights and may affect the royalties you receive. Work that has previously been published in journals or other formats may be bound by the copyright and distribution policies of the former publisher. Check to see if this work can be published as a book chapter.

  • Conference publications

    • Select a reputable conference, for some useful tips: Think, Check, Attend.  

    • Check with colleagues (and your supervisor if you are an HDR student) about the reputation of conferences and conference papers in your field.

    • When publishing following a presentation at a conference, consider the following: 

      • Does the conference proceeding have a peer review process? 

      • Is the paper published in a full publication such as a volume of proceedings, special edition of a journal, book or monograph?

  • BMJ Case Reports

    BMJ Case Reports publishes cases in all disciplines, enabling healthcare professionals, researchers, and students to find up-to-date and clinically important information on common and rare conditions. All BMJ Case Reports articles are peer-reviewed and copy-edited before publication. 

    BMJ Case Reports has a unique business model whereby users (whether authors and/or readers) pay for a Fellow membership in order to become Fellows. The University of Adelaide Library holds an institutional fellowship which enables our users to submit manuscripts at no cost.  Contact the Health and Medical Sciences liaison librarians for information about how to take advantage of this arrangement to publish your cases.

  • Publishing eBooks

    When publishing your manuscript as an eBook, it is important to understand that licensing will affect whether and how a University Library is permitted to purchase it for students to read. Academic libraries are restricted to purchasing institutional copies which are often subject to strict licensing models (such as x number of people can read it concurrently, or a certain number of credits (accesses) per year. Sometimes publishers choose not to make texts available for institutional purchase at all; when this is the case, the Library is unable to purchase that eBook for student use.

    A group of experts have put together this “Can my students read my books?” guide, which covers questions that you should ask of your prospective publisher to discover whether University libraries will be able to purchase your eBook. An alternative option is to publish your manuscript as an Open Access eBook or, if it is a textbook for teaching, an Open Educational Resource (OER).

  • Predatory publishing

    Publishers who engage in unprofessional or unethical practices are often referred to as predatory publishers. They can be found in all areas of publishing, but some will target the open access model, charging authors an article processing charge without providing any peer review or editorial services. 

    These publishers are not reputable in the research community and publishing your work in one of them will be damaging to your research impact and professional reputation. These types of publications are not peer-reviewed and do not have legitimate metrics such as journal impact factors. Unfortunately, researchers who have published in predatory journals have often found it very difficult or impossible to get a retraction, and so this work remains attached to their name.  

    These tools can assist in identification of predatory publishers: 

    Evaluating publications on an individual basis is preferable to relying on “blacklists”, which can place undue suspicion on new publishers and publishers from developing countries, and are also difficult to maintain. There is also no “definitive list” of predatory publishers.  

  • Vanity publishing

    Vanity publishers also exist in the academic sphere, charging authors a publication fee without being subject to the rigorous selection criteria of peer-reviewed journals or books. As with predatory publishing, this kind of publication will be damaging to academic reputation. It is vital to carefully consider all publishing offers, using tools such as those suggested above.