impact and effect based on target Q1 journals only for publication

This entry was posted in Manuscript Publication , Uncategorized , on April 12 , 2023.

After having completed around two years of your PhD you would have a fair idea about the work you would like to publish. In a normal scenario, your ideas may be quite novel but their scope would be confined. Would you want to send your work to a Q1 Journal? This is when you know that giving your paper in a Q1 journal with a very novel idea can sometimes still be stuck competing against the contribution of other researchers who have decades of work in the field and your research may not be able to match the depth of their work.

What should I do as a scholar If category of journal publication harm my PhD assessment?

You don’t have a lot of time to wait for publications to happen and soon you would have the panic to wind up the publications as it would be time to submit the thesis and your supervisor doesn’t allow you to target anything below the Q1 category.

If you are someone who is stuck in a similar situation or anticipate a scenario like this for yourself in the future, this blog is for you. We will understand what are the categories of journals and as a PhD scholar what is the wisest decision to take when you are shortlisting your journal.

What is “Q” Index or Quartile ranking of a journal?

A quartile is the ranking of a journal defined by any database based on the impact factor citation, and the indexing of that particular journal. It is divided into four different quadrants namely Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4.

Q index basically implies quartile which is the ranking of any journal that is a part of a particular field of discipline and is also parameter for the ranking of a journal.

To begin with, the indexing agencies arrange the different journals into four quadrants on the basis of the quality of the journal and also its citations in different researches. These index agencies publish the quartile rank of the journal along with its impact factor percentage primarily on the basis of the impact factor data they have. The categories of the quartile ranking on the basis of Impact Factor(IF) distribution are hereby created:

Quartile1(Q1): the top 25 percent journals of a particular category are placed here on the basis of their citation and impact factor.
Quartile2 (Q2): the next category is between 25 percent to 50 percent of the journals in a specific category.
Quartile 3(Q3): The next category is between 50 percent to 75 percent. This is the middle low category of the journal and usually has journals with low citations and impact factor
Quartile 4(Q4): The last or the lowest position between 75 percent to 100 percent falls here. Journal titles in this category are the ones that have the lowest quality standards.

Scopus Quartiles

Scopus Quartiles is one such method to measure the impact of a journal or publication. It measures the journal on quality rather than quantity parameter. The lower the quartile score, the higher is the impact of the journal. Q1 quartile score is used for better quality journal. The below diagram will help you to better understand this breakup.

For your publication to reach the widest audience it becomes necessary to publish in a Scopus Indexed Journal. But the challenging task can be to identify the most suitable journal. You will need guidance to help you to identify the most suitable journal for your paper as well as the strategies that can help you to increase your chances of publication. By the end of this blog, hopefully you will be in a position to make an informed decision about which publication is going to be most beneficial for you.

Should I measure the quality of my publication against the impact factor of the journal?

Publication quality is very important, however, you must not confuse quality of publication with the impact factor of the journal where it is sent. The focus, rather, should be to send your paper to the journal that caters to the community for which your research is targeted. This can be a high quality publication and help you with your citation indices as more and more people will read your research and use it in their citations as well. Even if the journal does not have a high impact factor, this is acceptable.

Journals with high impact factor often require research a journal that is relevant in a broader perspective. Certainly, journals with high impact factor can broaden your horizons and open brighter avenues for your career. But as a PhD research scholar, getting stuck with high impact publication in a Q1 or Q2 category journal can sometimes make the journey more difficult for you. This is because you are putting in a lot of effort in a process where the outcome is extremely unpredictable and time consuming. If you target is too high, it is a possibility that you might end up going a long time without a publication and because of that a lot of other progress in your PhD can get stuck. In brief, what counts towards the research potential of a research candidate is the tools that have been developed in the research process and apart from Q1 publications, career growth and better author profile can be developed by showing up at conferences, doing paper presentations and building network.

There may be a situation where your supervisor or university guidelines insist that for your doctoral research to wind up you must have a paper in one of the high indexed journals. Being aware of how challenging and time consuming it is, sometimes scholars do feel trapped and don’t know how to enhance the standard of their research and make it ready for acceptance in a better quality journal. Here are few tips that can help you to make your publication worthy of acceptance in the premium journals, if you so have to target them for reasons unavoidable.

How to enrich my paper for brighter chances of acceptance in a Q1 or Q2 category journal?

a) Align your research objective with the objective of the journal:

The high impact journals are categorically looking for relevant work of literature that should solve an important real word challenge and have real implications also. Having unique research methods and perfectly presented research paper won’t help in acceptance. Rather, these journals seek studies that are on a range of methods, parameters or model systems whatever is suitable for the research and the scope of your research paper should find its place in the scope of the journal. Otherwise even a very novel research won’t get you positive response if its objective isn’t aligned with the objective of the journal.

b) Write your paper from the perspective of the reader:

High impact articles always look for solid proofs and noteworthy outcomes. Researchers should always start their argument by asking big and relevant research questions and create a logical argument. The framework they create in the paper should fill as many gaps as possible in their story. A good research article is like an interesting story written with a scientific publication in mind. Do not try to use overly technical language, jargons and maintain fluidity in the writing process through one sentence to another. Ensure to explain the steps in the scientific solutions to maintain the reading flow. Avoid repetition of ideas and information. This will hinder the circulation of your research.

c) Give an inspirational title for your paper:

The title of your research paper should be conclusive in nature. It should be informative as well as tell the readers what the conclusion is. Clear and concise titles are the best because they tell the readers what the document is all about. Researchers should never underestimate the importance of a good title, you must know that these short blocks of text are most of the time the final consideration in paper acceptance and will get actually more views than the paper itself. Never use specialised jargons, especially in the title and abstract if you wish to publish in high impact factor journals.

d) Highlight the crux of the article with figures, table and data:

The numbers in your article should represent the findings and should be in a logical order. Figures and tables are the best way to represent complex information that is difficult to explain as well as comprehend in text. If your displays are high quality, they will make your research work professional. It will also improve the credibility of your research as readers will be able to interpret your analysis easily and trust the findings you have put forth. The most accepted and well published research papers are those that feature innovative research and the same time present their story clearly and logically. This requires strategic thinking ability, practice and skill.

e) Make sure you have created the best version of your paper:

A reckless approach in writing can bring down the quality of the most scientific research. The paper your create should be free of errors, especially in the data. You must check and cross check all the information you are using and ensure that your graphics are representing exactly what you say in the text. Instil all possible information about the data and the conditions of the experiment as you can. Make sure the reader doesn’t have to go back and forth in the document to completely interpret what you have written.

f) Comply with the formatting guidelines of the shortlisted journal:

At this stage when you have created the best version of your document according to you, it is advisable to go for peer review. You can even go for professional review manuscript option to get a critical perspective on your document. If your paper has more than one author, ensure all authors have gone through and approved of the final document. Before submitting, meticulously align the paper with the formatting guidelines of the journal and other submission instructions they have stated.

g) Be geared up for the reviewing process:

All high quality “Q1 and Q2” category journals are run by academicians or professional writers who take up the role of editors from time to time. They send the paper for peer review to academic scientists who rate your document on the grounds of accuracy, logic and scientific relevance. Within a span of few days or weeks, the reviewers come with their opinion on the submitted document and the publisher takes his call on the basis of all comments received. The final decision depends on whether the paper meets the editorial goals of the journal along with the opinion of the reviewers. You may be asked to take up certain amends in the paper to make it acceptable for publication and you must respond to it in the stipulated time assigned to you.

h) Draft a convincing cover letter:

One can speed up the review process by preparing a complete cover letter written in a very clear language. It should be a concise version of all the logic of your paper that specifies the significance and context of your research. If you want to state any special considerations applicable to your submission, include them in the cover letter. These could be related to your availability, related work in other journals that has been published by you or any other specific factor you wish to familiarise them with.

i) Deal positively with rejection:

It is common and expected that despite your best efforts you may get rejected by the journal you targeted. This may not mean your paper isn’t good. More than 90 percent of the papers submitted in high impact factor journals get rejected. The best course of action is to re assess your journal choice, correct the issues pointed out in the rejection mail, reformat it and send to the other shortlisted journal. Know that your research paper will surely get published in one or the other good places and every rejection allows you to gain better expertise on your writing and editing skills.

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