Selecting a Journal for Publication: Resources

Learn more about selecting a journal for publication using guidance from Publons (https://publons.com/home/).

This World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) document aims to provide guidance to help editors, researchers, funders, academic institutions and other stakeholders distinguish predatory journals from legitimate journals.

Presentation by Kelly Cobey.

Commentary on selecting a journal published in Missouri Medicine, November/December 2019.

Formerly known as the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts (URMs), ICMJE developed these recommendations to review best practice and ethical standards in the conduct and reporting of research and other material published in medical journals, and to help authors, editors, and others involved in peer review and biomedical publishing create and distribute accurate, clear, reproducible, unbiased medical journal articles. The recommendations may also provide useful insights into the medical editing and publishing process for the media, patients and their families, and general readers.

The Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing is issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). The criteria listed are principles of transparency and best practice for scholarly publications and to clarify that these principles form the basis of the criteria by which suitability for membership is assessed by COPE, DOAJ and OASPA, and part of the criteria on which membership applications are evaluated by WAME.

Transparency, open sharing, and reproducibility are core values of science, but not always part of daily practice. Journals, funders, and scholarly societies can increase reproducibility of research by adopting the Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) Guidelines and helping them evolve to meet the needs of researchers and publishers while pursuing the most transparent practices.

COPE was established in 1997 by a small group of journal editors in the UK but now has over 10,000 members worldwide from all academic fields. Membership is open to editors of academic journals and others interested in publication ethics. All COPE members are expected to follow the Code of Conduct for Journal Editors.

STM is a global trade association for academic and professional publishers and members are required to abide by STM Ethical Principles for Scholarly Publishing or equivalent statements.

The ICMJE is a small working group of general medical journal editors whose participants meet annually and fund their own work on the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals.

The mission of OASPA is to support and represent the interests of Open Access (OA) journal and book publishers globally in all scientific, technical, and scholarly disciplines. This mission will be carried out through exchanging information, setting standards, advancing models, advocacy, education, and the promotion of innovation.

The NLM chart lists the major biomedical research reporting guidelines that provide advice for reporting research methods and findings. They usually "specify a minimum set of items required for a clear and transparent account of what was done and what was found in a research study, reflecting, in particular, issues that might introduce bias into the research" (Adapted from the EQUATOR Network Resource Centre). The chart also includes editorial style guides for writing research reports or other publications.

The EQUATOR (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research) Network is an international initiative that seeks to improve the reliability and value of published health research literature by promoting transparent and accurate reporting and wider use of robust reporting guidelines.