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Strategic publishing

Provides information on applying strategic measures when considering publishing, promoting and tracking your research.

Choosing a publication type

Selecting an appropriate publication type for your work is critical, so consider:

  • Which publication type (book, book chapter, conference paper or journal article) is most appropriate for your research? Can you justify and explain your selection?
  • Are books and book chapters well regarded in your discipline? For example in the humanities field of Art, books are an acceptable type of publication. Are your colleagues / supervisors publishing in books?
  • Are conference papers well regarded in your discipline? For example in the field of Computer Science, conference papers are an acceptable type of publication. Are your colleagues / supervisors attending conferences and publishing peer reviewed conference papers?

Journals

Which journal?

There are a number of factors to consider when choosing which journal to publish your research in. The Think. Check. Submit. campaign provides researchers with a useful checklist in selecting a suitable, high-quality journal as well as assessing its credentials.

 

Think. Check. Submit. (1:58 mins) by Think. Check. Submit. is licensed under CC BY 4.0

 

Identifying possible relevant journals

There are a range of methods and tools that can be used to identify relevant journals within subject areas such as journal lists. The lists often include rankings and citation metrics.

Measures of relevance include:

  • How well known is the journal within a research discipline? Speak with your colleagues or supervisor.
  • The journal and publisher are known to me.
  • The journal is well regarded in my field of research. 
  • My colleagues regularly publish in this journal. 
  • The journal has been recommended to me.
  • This is a journal that I regularly read and cite works from.
  • There is a match between the subject of my article and the journal's aim and its scope.
  • The journal matches my target reader audience.

Resources to assist selection of relevant journals

There are also resources from publishers that can assist with finding a relevant journal to submit an article based on a title and/or abstract:

It is recommended to check authoritative sources, rather than rely on the journal’s own information. 

Identifying quality journals

An indication of a journal's quality is whether the journal conducts peer reviews on submitted journal articles.

Not all articles within a peer reviewed journal will be refereed. Editorials, letters and opinion pieces are examples of non-refereed articles.

For a journal article to be included as a research publication at a University such as RMIT, it must be refereed/peer reviewed. For more information about the eligibility criteria for a journal article to be included as a research publication at RMIT, refer to the RMIT Researcher Portal.

Measures of quality include:

  • The journal is peer-reviewed. Check the status in Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory. 
  • Whether the journal has an impact factor or a SCImago journal ranking. Check the status in SJR (SCImago Journal & Country Rank).
  • The journal title is included in the 2023 ERA journal list.
  • The journal title is included in a discipline ranking list.
  • Is the journal's publisher a member of a recognised professional association?
  • The journal has a clear peer-review process.
  • The journal has clear publishing fees.
  • The journal has clear information regarding acceptance and rejection rates.
  • The journal has a clear timeframe from submission to publication.
  • Contact details are available for the journal's Editorial Board.
  • The journal is a member of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics).

Ensuring discoverability of your work

When selecting a journal, consider whether your target audience can find your work.

Measures of discoverability include:

Another option is to consider an open access publication. Open access publications are available freely online and increase the potential readership, beyond those within academic databases.

If your publication is open access, ensure that a copy of the full text is included in the RMIT Research Repository. This is an open access repository providing free, searchable access to research publications authored by RMIT University staff and students.

Multidisciplinary based journal rankings

Discipline based journal rankings

Useful resources

The following table lists various sources that may be used to verify the relevancy, quality and discoverability of the journal/s you are considering submitting your manuscript to.

Resource Relevance Quality Discoverability

Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate Analytics) 
A comprehensive resource tool that allows you to evaluate and compare journals using citation data drawn from the Web of Science database.

 YES

​

  
SJR (SCImago Journal & Country Rank) 
A free resource using data from the Scopus database that allows you to search journals individually or by discipline. 
 		 YES YES  
Scopus Sources
Allows you to browse measures for journals in different subject areas or search for individual journal titles.		 YES  

YES

Scopus Compare Sources
Select and compare up to 10 titles in a specific field. The results are displayed graphically for simple visual comparison of journals.

 YES

 

  
Dimensions database
A free resource can be used to search for relevant journals and check against journal lists including the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) list or Fields of Research (FOR) codes.
 		 YES

 

  
Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory
Check the publication details of possible journals including whether a journal is refereed/peer reviewed and which databases index the journal. Ensure that the major database/s used within your discipline are listed here.		 YES

YES

 YES
Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) 2023 journal list
The 2023 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) journal list from the Australian Research Council website.		 YES

YES

  
Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
Provides guidelines on scholarly publishing practices.
 		   YES  
Think. Check. Submit.
Provides information to use when evaluating journals.
 		   YES  
F.A.I.R. Access to Australia's Research
Use these principles to assist with making research output and data findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable.
 		     YES

Other publication types

Which conference?

Conferences are a great way to network, disseminate your research among fellow scholars in your field and receive feedback as part of the peer review process. They provide a quick and easy way of getting your research published as papers are often compiled into published proceedings. However, in certain disciplines, conference publications may not be as highly regarded as other dissemination methods so it's crucial to assess the disciplinary norms and the caliber of both the conference and its associated publications.

Think. Check. Attend. is an international initiative that aims to guide and assist researchers and scholars when choosing trusted conferences to attend and present their research.

When choosing a conference, check for the following:

  • the credentials of the conference organisers.
  • submission and acceptance rates.
  • is only the abstract peer reviewed or is the entire paper peer reviewed?
  • will the full paper be published? Does this meet HERDC requirements?
  • do you have proof that the conference is of national or international importance? (required for HERDC acceptance)
  • will the conference be indexed in Scopus or Web of Science? Note: conferences indexed by Web of Science are not necessarily peer reviewed, and Scopus indexes conferences as a special issue of a journal or as a dedicated conference proceeding.

Finding conferences

Avoiding unethical conferences

While conferences can provide many positive opportunities and outcomes, researchers need to be aware of predatory conferences. These conferences often have deceptive or misleading practices that exploit researchers' desire to disseminate and publish their work. Common characteristics of predatory conferences include:

Aggressive solicitation: Researchers may receive numerous unsolicited emails inviting them to submit papers or attend conferences, often with generic or flattering language that lacks specificity about the conference's focus or quality.

Low or no academic standards: Predatory conferences often have lax or non-existent peer review processes, allowing low-quality or even nonsensical research to be presented.

High registration fees: Predatory conferences may charge exorbitant fees for registration, often without providing clear information about what attendees will receive in return.

Dubious organisers: The organisers of predatory conferences may have little to no academic background or affiliation, and their websites may lack transparency about their identities or credentials.

Misleading branding: Some predatory conferences attempt to mimic the branding of reputable academic conferences or organisations, using similar names or logos to deceive researchers into thinking they are legitimate.

The following article from The London School of Economics and Political Science examines the Think. Check. Attend. initiative for avoiding unethical conferences:

Choosing to publish a book or book chapter

So, you are thinking of a book or book chapter as a publication type for your research. Some points to consider are:

  • Are books and publishing book chapters well regarded in your discipline?
    • Are your colleagues / supervisors publishing in books?
    • Speak with your colleagues / supervisors about their experience with publishing books and/or book chapters.
  • Would a book or a book chapter meet your publishing objectives?
  • Do you have the experience and research track record to write a book proposal that will be accepted?

Choosing a publisher

There are a number of factors to consider when choosing a publisher for your book or book chapter. The Think. Check. Submit. campaign provides researchers with a useful checklist in selecting a suitable, high-quality book publisher as well as assessing its credentials. Other strategies that may be helpful when choosing a publisher are:

  • Identify reputable academic publishers in your field. Do this by mining your own sources: which books are on similar topics and who has published them? You can also search library catalogues such as Worldcat.org or websites like Amazon.com 
  • Check academic publishers' webpages for recent titles and subject areas to ensure that your proposal matches the publisher’s market, or would fill a discernable gap
  • Always read advice and guidelines for prospective authors before submitting a book proposal
  • Read the fine print of any contracts you sign and seek legal advice if you have concerns

Potential problems in book publishing practice

Vanity publishers, print-on-demand and publishers specialising in theses are not considered to be commercial publishers. They do not offer peer review or editorial services and publishing with them may have copyright implications for publishing your work elsewhere, e.g. in academic journals.

Trade or academic publishers invest in the books they publish. They invest in editorial processes, production and design aspects, marketing and will seek to have the book reviewed. They will generally reject books that are assessed to not be marketable. There are other publishers, however, that make no such investment and only produce a book once it is sold. Quality is not as relevant (they invest little in the book) as they have no risk of unsold stock.

Is your book or book chapter a research output?

If you publish using RMIT University as your affiliation, you are required to report your publication.

However, RMIT only accept publications that meet certain conditions imposed by the ARC's Excellence in Research Australia (ERA).

The RMIT Research portal outlines the overall eligibility criteria required for traditional research outputs, including further criteria specific to each output type.

Non-academic publications

To reach a broader audience beyond academia, you might want to consider writing a non-academic publication such as a newspaper article, an online article, blog post or an article for a professional journal or newsletter. Writing for a non-academic publication could be one way to show research impact or engagement.

Pitching and publishing an article relating to your research within The Conversation could lead to the general public reading about your research. As a number of articles within The Conversation are republished (under a Creative Commons licence) online within The Age newspaper or under the news section on the ABC website.

If your research has practical implications for a profession such as accounting, architecture, engineering, law or science, then publishing articles in both academic and professional journals may be beneficial. As professionals working in industry are more likely to read a professional journal rather than an academic journal. Some examples of professional journals include:

Creative works

Non-traditional research outputs (NTROs) such as creative works can be included as a research output if it meets certain eligibility criteria specific to the type of output.

Examples of creative works include:

  • an artwork, a diagram or map, a photography, a sculpture or an installation
  • a building or a design project
  • a public exhibition or a live or recorded performance such as a play or a film
  • a novel, an exhibition catalogue or an entry in an exhibition catalogue

Points for consideration when selecting an outlet for your creative work:

  • Take into account the reputation of the gallery or venue, the exposure your work may receive and how it will be discovered and promoted.
    • Will your work be independently reviewed, and will you be able to show engagement through attendance, feedback, reviews or through other means?
    • Can you show evidence that your work has been selected based on evaluation by one or more peers within the same research field and the work is available in a public outlet or venue. See the list of approved venues which RMIT does not require evidence of peer review as these venues are known to use a peer-review or expert selection process for selecting creative works. 
  • Will information about your creative work be discoverable online - for example, through a catalogue, recording, video, images?
    • Will it be promoted through social media?
    • Is there a website that can be linked to in a social media post or added to a researcher profile or personal website?
  • Finally, refer to the creative practice tab on the Research evidence for grants and promotion library guide for more information on demonstrating engagement with your NTROs when applying for research grants or academic promotion.

Information to ensure that your non-traditional output is classified as research:

  • Refer to the Reporting creative research works and portfolios (staff only) article within the RMIT Research Portal for information about the specific criteria that a creative work needs to meet to be considered a research output. Reporting your output will ensure that it is included in the RMIT Research Repository. Note: Only NTROs by RMIT University staff can be reported.
  • For creative works, in addition to meeting the eligibility criteria, a research statement must be included when reporting the output as research to RMIT. For information on a research statement, refer to the Instructions on writing a research statement (Creative Works) article within the RMIT Research Portal.

Choosing to publish a report

When you and your research partners have a report to publish, there are a few things to consider: 

  • Do you want to make your report available open access? 
  • Do you and your research partners/co-authors own copyright or have the right to make your report available open access?  
  • If you own copyright, have you thought about assigning an open license to your report such as such as a Creative Commons licence? 
  • Do you want to assign a persistent identifier to your report such as a Digital Object Identifier (DOI)? 
  • Do you want your report to be searchable via other sources such as Google Scholar or Trove? 

Where to publish

The Analysis and Policy Observatory (APO) service is a digital repository of reports and other grey literature and is based at Swinburne University. Since 2002, they have been publishing reports and making them available to a world-wide audience for free. 

APO can provide a DOI for your report and makes their collections searchable via Google Scholar. It’s also possible for your publications to be included in APO specialist collections. APO can provide customised metrics dashboards and reporting to view organisation and author impact. 

See further information and instructions on how to use and publish with APO.

Is my report a research output?

If you publish using RMIT University as your affiliation, you are required to report your publications. Only those that meet certain conditions required by the ARC's Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) are eligible for reporting.

The RMIT Research portal outlines the overall eligibility criteria required for traditional research outputs, including further criteria specific to each output type.