After giving your best to writing your technical paper you would never want it to gather dust on the shelf. Rather you would wish to get it published in one of a high-impact journal so as to make significant contributions to the existing knowledge in your area of study.  As per a report, there are around 17,884+ journals that publish technical papers and the number is increasing by 3.2% day-by-day. Today, 65% of the technical paper gets rejected by the journals, the main reason being the submission of the paper to unsuitable journal. Hence it becomes a mandate to choose a peer-reviewed journal that presents your study in the best way possible and conveys it to the target audience. However, with plenty of journals available out there, selecting the apt journal for your technical paper is a strenuous task. While there are several factors that need to be considered while choosing the journal of which include, but not limited to,

• Match between the journal’s aim & scope and the topic of your paper

The most common reason for the rejection of the technical paper is mismatch between the journal’s aim and that of the paper. To avoid this, you have to determine if the subject matter of your paper matches with that of the target journal. Consider the type of research the target journal focuses on. For example, if your research is based on the theoretical concept, ensure that the journal you have chosen publishes the theoretical paper. Also, check if the journal publishes the study topic same as yours. For eg: International Journal of Agroforestry Remote Sensing and GIS publishes papers based on Agroforestry Remote Sensing and GIS topic. 

• Target audience & readership

While looking for the journal’s audience and readership evaluate two major elements: (a) multidisciplinary journal and (b) specialty journal. Multidisciplinary journal doesn’t target a specific audience whereas speciality journals target a specific audience. If your topic is very focused, then you should go for specialty journal. 

• Journal visibility 

On publishing your technical paper, the readers must find your paper at ease. Hence journal visibility paper a key role. Check if the journal is enlisted in the electronic databases, is indexed in Web of Science & subject-specific databases in your area of study. These factors enhances the visibility of your study and also the number of times your paper is cited. 

• Turnaround time 

Here you need to look out for two aspects. (a) peer reviewed and (b) publication delay. (a) Check out how many papers the journal publishes in a year. Normally, a monthly journal reviews and publishes the paper quickly when compared to that of yearly journal. Some of the journals enlist submission and accepted dates. This will give you a rough idea about the turnaround time. (b) if the target journal has an online edition, check if it posts accepted paper once it is approved for publication. If yes, it indicates that the paper will be posted online soon after its acceptance.  

• CV value of posting 

Here you will have to go through the editorial board members and journal sponsorship. I.e. the board members are well-known in your area of your study and the journal is sponsored by a prestigious society in your study domain. Also check for the impact factor of the journal as it the measure of the reputation of the same. 

• Types of paper it publishes 

If you are aiming to publish a theorem or a review articles, make sure the target journal publishes such papers.

Carefully choosing the journal to get your technical paper published greatly improves the chances of its acceptance. Once you have chosen the journal, identify the format, citation styles, word count, publication costs, etc. demanded the journal and ensure you follow the same.