What is a journal?
If you are reading this - you have likely written a research paper or are planning to write one. On this page - we describe what journals are, and why you may want to consider publishing research in a journal.
A journal is a publication, usually in a specific domain, hosted by a publishing company or an organization.
Major research organizations, like IEEE, ACM, and SPIE, host many journals. Some journals are the proceedings of live conferences, where papers accepted to the conference are subsequently published by the companion journal. Other journals have no live events and publish the paper directly.
Why should I publish in a journal?
It is a chance for others to read your paper!
The publication process involves peer review - so it is a chance to get feedback on your work from professionals in the field.
It is an acknowledgment of your accomplishments - that other professionals in your field agree that your work is good enough to be published.
What is better - a conference or a journal? Can I do both?
It depends on what you are looking for. Most conferences present an opportunity to share your work live, while journals make your work accessible to more people.
Ideally you can get the best of both worlds. Keep in mind however that some conferences and journals expect novel work that has not appeared anywhere else. Check the requirements and make sure that if your work has appeared in a conference or journal before, you are eligible to submit to a second conference or journal.
Finding a journal
Great! Now that you have learned all about journals and are ready to submit to one, how do you find one?
There are many journals of every academic area - usually a quick Google search will help you find them.
However, with many journals out there - selecting one to submit to can be hard. You can look at the journal rankings and impact factor to see how well your target journal ranks against other journals in the field.
If you know other researchers in your field - you can also ask them for recommendations.
Getting into a journal
The first step is to read other papers already published in the journal. This will tell you the level of work (depth, experiments, novelty) that it takes to get in. Your paper, while focusing on your specific problem, will need to be equally good as past submissions in overall quality. Journals with higher impact factors are harder to get into.
The process
Submit a paper in the expected format and length via the journal's submission site.
Depending on the journal, it may take a few weeks or several months before a reply is received.
The reviewers may provide feedback and ask that the paper be revised. This is both the advantage and disadvantage of a journal relative to a conference. In a conference, the paper is likely to be accepted or rejected. If it is rejected, there is no recourse but to apply to a different conference or the same conference in the following year. With a journal, on the other hand, revisions are likely but if you persist through the process, your paper is more likely to be published at the end.
Tips and Tricks
If you are new to journal publishing - it may not be best to try for the highest-impact journal. Find a medium impact factor journal that will be easier to get into. Compare your paper to published papers in the same journal to see if your paper is up to the expected standard.
When you receive reviewer feedback - don't just make the revisions. You should also send a note with the revisions thanking the reviewer for the feedback and pointing out explicitly what changes (and where) addressed the comments. This will make it easier for the reviewer to validate your changes. This is a good practice to develop - some conferences have it also - in a rebuttal period before final decision.
Never argue with the reviewer. If you need to disagree, do so respectfully.
Sometimes changes are suggested as optional. In these cases - if you can do it - please do. It shows that you are taking the feedback seriously. If you cannot do it - reply thanking them for the comment and explain why it is difficult for you to address the issue in the current paper but you will keep the idea in mind for future work.
Happy publishing!