Publication Checklist

Journal selection should happen before writing, not after. The scope, typical article length, methodological preferences and readership of your target journal all shape how the paper should be framed, and reframing a finished manuscript for a different journal is substantially more work than writing it for the right one initially.

Verify the journal before you commit. Check indexing directly on the official Scopus source list or the Web of Science Master Journal List rather than the journal's own claims, look for DOAJ listing if it is open access, and apply the Think-Check-Submit checklist. Unsolicited invitations promising rapid review are the clearest warning sign of a predatory outlet.

Work through the submission requirements methodically: word limits, reference style, structured abstract format, figure resolution, ethics approval statement, conflict-of-interest declaration, author contributions and ORCID. Desk rejections frequently result from formatting and scope mismatches rather than the quality of the research, and they cost weeks that careful checking would have saved.