While pursuing a career as a researcher, you must exercise extreme caution when selecting the appropriate journal.
Most researchers publish their articles in reputable journals such as SCI, Springer, Elsevier, ISI, IEEE, and Scopus. Whatever option you choose, make sure you thoroughly examine every aspect of the journal before submitting your paper. Although these factors may differ from one journal to the next, there are a few things you should keep in mind before submitting your paper to any publication:
Ensure that your work is based on genuine research
How well your work is received is determined by the amount of effort you put into research. It would be best if you concentrated not only on gathering data but also on evaluating and analyzing it. Check your sources for authenticity, and make sure to cite them whenever you use information from them.
When choosing a topic, be cautious
If you want to be a successful researcher, you must develop a good research topic. You can request that your instructor assign you a topic, but he or she may prefer that you choose one that interests you. Here are a few ideas to help you come up with a research topic:
- Make a list of the concepts or keywords that appeal to you. Check to see if you can make a topic out of them and that you’ve chosen a topic with enough research material.
- Before deciding on a topic for your paper, learn as much as you can about it.
- In your journal paper, the topic must be unique and effective.
- Collect information from reliable sources
Check out the most recent submissions
It is always advisable to read some of the most recent publications to gain a thorough understanding of the types of articles that the target journal accepts. It is necessary to understand the core use of language, theme, concepts, and the format followed by the scholars as you read through recent articles. It would be best if you double-checked that your paper has been received.
Because a well-written paper must be based on previous research, citing scholars is a natural part of the process. Permissions required by the sources are required for your paper. For your paper, you’ll need to get written permissions for copyrighted images and videos. Your article will be more authentic if you include a list of references. The sources must be cited both in the paper’s in-text citation and in the Reference List.
You must ensure that the source you are using is authentic whether you collect primary or secondary data. Inaccurate data can skew the results of your study, making it either false or valuable. If you want to collect primary data, you can use surveys and interviews. It is preferable to look for secondary data in literature sources such as textbooks, government or private company reports, magazines, newspapers, and articles or papers published online.
Figures, Tables, Images, And Diagrams Must Be Appropriately Described
Figures, images, diagrams, and tables can help straightforwardly explain complicated concepts. Most of the time, your readers will glance over these display items without reading the text.
Maintain a sense of flow and precision in your writing
The importance of flow and cohesion in journal writing cannot be overstated. Always keep the big picture in mind and consider how the various parts of your article can be connected. Share it with your supervisor or mentor to get a sense of how your work might appear to a reader. You can also read it aloud if you prefer. If you can’t read a sentence at your usual speed, you may need to change it.
Properly describe the findings and analysis
When a reader sees your research paper, the first thing he will look at is the results. This is the section in which you present your findings. Any theoretical or empirical questions that you raised in the first section of your paper should be answered by these findings. If you’re writing a qualitative paper, you may need to organize your findings using a thematic or analytical approach. Make sure your findings are simple to comprehend.
Include a description of the scope of future work
While most authors include a conclusion in their paper, not everyone does so with a section for future research. Incorporate the scope of future work into your article to inform your readers about what you plan to do next. Make sure this section is brief and to the point. Limit it to one or two sentences, but make sure it explains the concept. Make sure you explain the significance of this path in addition to pointing to a possible research path.
Use recent references if possible
At the end of your paper, you must include a references page. This page, written in APA style, should list all of the sources you used in your paper. Citations will be easier to find for your readers as a result of this. When writing references, always use a consistent font. The sources must be arranged alphabetically. If you don’t see an author’s name in the source you provided, you can use the title of the website or the title of the work. Always double-check the source’s date before citing it in your references.
Ensure that your content is free of plagiarism
Instead of copying and pasting text, understand the concepts and paraphrase them. If you must use text from another source, make sure to quote it. If you use someone else’s ideas or words, you must cite them. Also, include any content from your previous paper in your citations. Keep track of the sources you consult as you write your paper. To keep track of your citations, you can use citation software. Before submitting your paper, run it through a plagiarism detection program like Turnitin or Urkund.
Choose your journal based on the topic you’ve chosen
Make sure you understand the goal and scope of the journal before submitting your paper. Your paper should ideally fall within the scope of the assignment. Check to see if the journal you’ve chosen has any articles that are similar to yours. Examine the journal’s reputation based on its impact factor, audience reach, and turnaround times.
Prepare your paper following the journal’s format
You can figure out what kind of format you need to follow by looking at a few articles that have been published in the journal. Find out how many sections there are in the structure and what each one’s purpose is. Consult your professors to ensure that you are on the right track.
Proofread your draft
Proofreading your document many times is the most effective method to ensure that it is completely error-free. This will take some time, but it will be well worth it. An error-free work gives the author far more credibility than one prepared hastily with many grammatical mistakes and typos.
Article submission
The final reading of the paper is the first step in the submission procedure. After the last reading, double-check that your work meets all of the requirements. Collect all copyright proofs and formal permissions to provide the document. Finally, compose a cover letter to the Editor of the Journal, including any pertinent information about yourself and your article.
