What do international journals look for?

It is important to understand journals’ reasons for publishing. This will help you select the most appropriate journal and present your research in the most appealing way. 

When a manuscript is submitted to a peer-reviewed journal, an editor and editorial staff must screen the manuscript and decide if it is appropriate to send to experts for review. They will usually consider the following criteria:

• Do the contents of this manuscript match the journal’s Aims and Scope?
• Is your research original and novel?
• Are your aims, methods, results (including illustrations), discussion, and conclusion presented in a clear and logical manner?
• Is your methodology appropriate?
• Did you follow applicable ethical guidelines when conducting your study?
• Do your findings have real-world applications and implications?
• Will your findings be of interest to the journal’s readership?
• Are your ideas clearly communicated in English?
• Have you formatted your manuscript according to the journal’s guidelines?

The journal editor ensures that the journal publishes high-quality research, which increases the journal’s international visibility and impact. In this way, the journal can maintain or raise its reputation by attracting potentially important and influential studies from more authors around the world. 

Journal editors and editorial office staff often attend international conferences. Introduce yourself to them and tell them about your research. Doing so can help build relationships, and editors may share useful information about their journal and what they are looking for.

Dr. Ruth Tunn, Edanz education team