Writers' Resource

Once you feel confident that your manuscript content reflects a well-designed, well-executed research study, the next important step is to decide which journal to submit your paper. List several journals to which you think you would like to submit your paper and research those journals to determine the answers to the following questions:

• Does the subject of your article match the subjects of the other articles published in that journal?
• Does the journal go to people in your field whom you want to read your article?
• Does the publication schedule of the journal meet your priorities? For example, if fast publication is important to you, choose a journal with rapid review and publication cycles.  If your work involves complex investigations, a journal with a strong but slower peer review process would be appropriate.
• Does the journal impose limitations that would prevent you from presenting your information clearly?  e.g., length limitations, graphics limitations.

    
Selected References

• Instructions to Authors in the Health Sciences (available online at: http://www.mco.edu/lib/instr/libinsta.html). Links to websites that provide instructions to authors for more than 3000 journals in the health and life sciences. All links are to primary sources, that is, to publishers or organizations with editorial responsibilities for the titles.
• Fried PW, Wechsler AW. How to get your paper published. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2001;121:S3-S7