Resource

Choosing a target journal before you finish writing

Why journal selection belongs at the start of the writing process, not the end.

Published 14 October 2026

Deciding where to submit after a manuscript is finished usually means rewriting it. Scope, word limits, reporting requirements and reference style all differ, and retrofitting them is slow work.

Shortlist two or three candidate journals early. Read their recent issues rather than only their aims and scope, and check whether papers like yours actually appear there.

Then write to the target from the beginning, with a realistic fallback already chosen.

← All resources