Journals are a huge and sometimes confusing offer. How do I make sure I make the right choice for my purpose? In which Open Access journals can the publication be funded by the TUHH DFG-Publishing Fund?
Where can I find reputable journal titles or publishers?
- The members of the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA) are committed to a rigorous review process in order to meet scientific standards.
- The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) lists only peer-reviewed journals and was rebuilt with regard to stricter standards as of 1 January 2015. In addition to the review process, a journal title must have an ISSN, for example.
- The Committee of Publication Ethics (COPE) offers standards for the publication process – especially for peer review. Many journals also publish ethical rules for authors.
What should I pay particular attention by selecting a journal?
The Think Check Submit page offers a checklist, some of which are questions:
Do you or your colleagues know the journal?
– Have you read articles in the journal in the past?
– Can you easily find the latest articles in the journal?
Can you simply identify and contact the publisher?
– Is the publisher’s name clearly indicated on the journal’s homepage?
– Can you contact the publisher by phone, e-mail or post?
Does the journal provide clear information on its peer review process?
Are the articles indexed in databases that you use yourself? e.g. Web of Science, Scopus?
Is it clear what costs will be incurred?
– Does the journal’s website explain what payments are made for and when they are billed?
Open Access significantly promotes the visibility of research. But Open Access has also become a new business model that attracts dubious providers. These send out a wide range of invitations to the scientific community with initially low rates for the publication of articles for “feeding”. There is no review process, but high item costs later. In other cases the articles are no longer available after a short time or they are not activated despite payment. In addition, these journals, also known as predatory journals or robbery journals, are generally not evaluated in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. It’s unfortunate for anyone who wants to pursue a scientific career. By the way, there are similar mechanisms for congress invitations!
Do you have any questions? Send us an email to openaccess@tuhh.de
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