An article published in the past month by Anna Sharman  provides useful tips on the factors to consider when selecting an appropriate journal for a manuscript.

Factors covered in the paper include impact, speed, open access options, reputation, scope, peer review – and others.

One very useful tip from Anna is: “…pick your first choice (high rank) journal from a publisher that also publishes a megajournal. The reason for this is that if your article is rejected (because the research is not of sufficiently high impact), they will often offer you the opportunity to submit to their megajournal and facilitate the transfer of the reviewer comments, which can make acceptance and publication much quicker. This is called ‘cascading review’.”.

The author concludes: “Do not assume that the traditional way to choose a journal is still the only or indeed the best way….Innovations in journal publishing can give greater opportunities for your research to have a rapid impact.”.

This article provides useful reading for medical writers, authors and other professionals involved in the development of medical publications.