Introduction
Getting your first research paper published can feel like navigating a maze. Where do good research ideas come from? Which journal should you target? And how do you avoid spending months on a journal that was never the right fit? Every PhD student and early-career researcher faces these questions. They were also at the heart of several scientific writing webinars I have attended in the course of my PhD. So I’m sharing the key lessons here.
In this guide, you will learn where to find research ideas and which types of research articles carry the most weight. You will also see how open access and subscription publishing differ, how to choose the right journal for your paper, how to prepare your manuscript, and how journal finder tools can help you build a shortlist.
The scientific writing journey: from idea to publication
The journey starts with a myriad of ideas that result from personal or work experience, interests, discussions with colleagues, or suggestions from advisors and supervisors.
Once you’ve settled on one idea that you want to run with, you then look for an appropriate journal.
However, the journey from ideation to journal selection need not be linear. Sometimes you may see a call for papers which then nudges you to find an idea of a paper to respond to the call for papers.
After identifying the journal, you then write the paper, send to peers for informal review before submitting it to the journal or call for papers.
The paper then undergoes a formal review and it is either published or rejected.
Where do research ideas come from? 6 sources for PhD students
There are many sources of ideas for research. These include:
- An ongoing project: projects – whether for your organization or contracted by clients – are often a good source of research ideas especially if the project involves collection of primary data. You may use the data to analyse a research issue that was not part of the original research.
- Request by your supervisor or colleague to work on a specific topic together.
- Emerging issues of public concern: a good example in the health sector is the emergence of infectious diseases such as Ebola and recently the covid-19 pandemic. Such issues always force researchers to shift their focus from what they were working on to research on the emerging issues.
- Personal interests.
- Issues of national importance: for instance, in Kenya, there are many road accidents caused by bodaboda riders. Majority of road accidents’ casualties in hospitals are as a result of bodaboda riders. A researcher may undertake a study to understand what are the key driving factors of the high rate of bodaboda accidents in Kenya and propose recommendations to reduce bodaboda accidents.
- Issues of international importance: for instance, climate change, Sustainable Development Goals etc. These are often a good starting point for undertaking research. As an example, a researcher may decide to do a study that tracks his country’s progress towards the goals and targets set out in the SDGs.
Types of research articles (and which ones count most for your career)
There are different types of research articles that a researcher or PhD student can write:
- Editorials: these are commissioned by editors of journals and are usually very short in length.
- Original research: these are the most common scientific articles.
- Review papers: these are summaries of other papers and include: systematic reviews and scoping reviews.
- Commentaries and opinion pieces: these are short articles which are sometimes commissioned by editors.
- Methodological musings: these are usually focused on a new methodology that the author wants to push out to other readers.
- Letters: may be in response to a paper written or letters to the editors.
- Book reviews: short reviews of books.
Of these article types, the most weighty ones in terms of scientific career are the original research and commentaries/opinion pieces. Therefore PhD students and early-career researchers should put their effort in writing original research papers and commentaries/opinion pieces.
Open access vs subscription journals: which publishing model fits you?
How open access publishing works
As the name suggests, once a paper becomes open access, everyone can gain access to it free of charge.
Open access publishing is a great way of increasing the reach and visibility of published research.
Publishing in open access journals however comes at a cost to the researcher and the cost can be as high as $10,000 for one paper in some instances.
How the traditional subscription publishing works
In this model, the researcher does not pay for the paper to be published.
The downside to this model is that access to such papers is restricted to other researchers especially if they have not paid the journals’ subscription fees.
How to choose the right journal for your research paper
There are many factors to consider when choosing a journal in which to publish a research paper. PhD students and early-career researchers are encouraged to always consult senior researchers when choosing journals for publication because the latter have a vast experience in this matter.
Some of the factors to consider include:
Journal impact factor
Impact factor is a metric used to measure the importance and prestige of journals. It is determined by the the average number of citations a journal’s recent articles receive.
The higher the impact factor of a journal, the higher the journal is ranked, and the more difficult it is to publish in that journal.
The Clarivate’s Journal Citation Reports is a good resource to learn about the impact factor of various journals.
Journal target audience
This is determined by the subject matter/content that is covered by the journal.
For example, if your research paper is in the field of Economics, you will look for journals that cover Economics topics because that’s where your audience will be.
The audience can also be looked at from the perspective of their skills and knowledge. For instance, if a journal focuses on policymakers, then it is expected that the journal papers will not be too technical. On the other hand, if the audience is academic, then the papers should be technical in nature.
Journal scope and reach (local, regional or international)
Besides looking at the content and subject matter of the audience, one should consider the scope of the journal in terms of reach of its audience.
Is the journal focused on local, regional or international audience and issues?
A research paper that addresses an issue of international concern is best published in a journal with an international reach and vice versa.
Advice from experienced researchers
Past experience of the researcher or his/her senior colleagues is a good factor to consider when choosing a journal for publication.
It is advisable to seek advice from senior researchers who already have vast experience in academic publishing. Such researchers will have a good grasp on which journal outlets a PhD student can publish in without difficulties.
Peer review quality and how to spot predatory journals
A good journal is one that has a good peer review process in place to ensure that the papers published therein are of high quality.
PhD students and early-career researchers should be mindful of predatory journals, whose main aim is just to earn money from researchers who are desperate to publish. Such journals do not have a rigorous peer review process in place and often accept any article for the sake of money.
Author guidelines and publication fees
All journals have guidelines for authors on submission and publication of research papers in their journals.
Always read the guidelines carefully to know what is expected of you as the researcher in terms of content, format as well as publication fees.
A journal might be a good fit for a research paper but if the article processing charge is too high, the researcher might not be able to afford the fees hence it is not recommended to publish in such an outlet.
How to prepare your manuscript before submission
After you have identified a good journal for publication, then you need to follow the steps below:
Paper structure: always follow the author guidelines provided to the letter when structuring the paper for publication.
Informal review: always give your work to a friend or colleague to review it before you submit it for publication. Having a second eye review the paper before submitting it is always helpful and may reduce the number of revisions the paper goes through before its final acceptance.
Professional copyediting/proofreading: if your budget allows, hire a professional copyeditor and/or proofreader to go through the paper and correct the errors before submitting it for publication.
Accompany your paper with a good cover letter: the cover letter helps the editor to know what your paper is about without having to read the paper first.
Using journal finder tools to shortlist journals
There are many journal finders that help researchers to identify the most suitable journal for their papers. Most of the publishing companies have their own journal finders.
How they work:
Input the required information in the journal finder. This will vary from one finder to another.
The journal finder will give you a number of journals that are suitable to your paper.
It is your responsibility to go through the recommended journals and their requirements to see if they fit your needs.
Some of the journal finders include:
- Elsevier: https://journalfinder.elsevier.com/
- Springer: https://journalsuggester.springer.com/
- Wiley: https://journalfinder.wiley.com/
- Taylor & Francis: https://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/publishing-your-research/choosing-a-journal/journal-suggester/
- Enago: https://www.enago.com/researcher-hub/journal-finder.htm
The above list is not exhaustive.
Conclusion
Scientific writing is rarely a straight line from idea to publication. Sometimes you start with a research question and then look for a journal. Other times a call for papers sparks a new idea. Either way, rejection is part of the process, and even established researchers have far more rejected papers than published ones.
What you can control is how well you prepare. Draw ideas from your projects, your interests, and the issues that matter in your country and beyond. Put most of your effort into original research and commentaries. Choose your journal deliberately: weigh its impact factor, audience, reach and peer review process, and steer clear of predatory journals. Then follow the author guidelines closely, ask a colleague for an informal review, and send your paper with a strong cover letter.
Ready to find the right home for your next paper? Try one of the journal finders above. If you have questions about publishing as a PhD student, leave them in the comments below.
Where to Find Journal Articles for PhD Research (7 Best Sources)
How to Read Journal Papers Quickly and Effectively (Without Missing What Matters)