Welcome. In this guide, you will find resources and tips to help you choose a publication venue for your research. You will find information on open access journals, preprint servers, predatory publishers, as well as tools you can use to identify quality journals.
See related resources on the publication process below:
Where to start:
Next steps:
Conference or Journal?
In some disciplines, like computer science and engineering, it is more common for researchers to submit papers to be presented at a conference than to submit an article to a journal.
Recommended reading:
Open-access journals differ from subscription-based journals in that their content is free for everyone to read.
There are two main models for open access publishing: green open access and gold open access.
The gold open access model is centered on publication in an open access journal or a hybrid journal. In either case, the authors will likely have to pay an Article Processing Charge (APC) to the journal for publication. Hybrid journals are subscription journals which offer authors the option to make their article open access along the same lines as the gold open access model.
Read more about APCs and library support for open access publishing.
The green open access model requires additional work on the part of authors, who must identify a subscription based journal which grants them the right to deposit their manuscript in an online repository. Learn more about different open access models and their implications for your research.
Legitimate open-access journals follow the same standards for rigorous publishing that traditional subscription-based scholarly journals do. Their inclusion in a subject-based literature index like Chemical Abstracts or a directory with strong inclusion criteria like the Directory of Open Access Journals means that they have been reviewed by experts and judged worthy. These journals will be transparent on their websites about their editorial oversight, affiliations, selection criteria, peer review process, and any charges to authors.
While some open access journals have questionable practices (see the "Predatory Publishers and Deceptive Publishing Practices" tab for more), open access publishing should not be regarded as inferior to traditional subscription-based journals.
Recommended reading:
Serving as a peer reviewer can be a great way to familiarize yourself with the scholarly publishing process. The American Psychological Association's Science Student Council has created a guide for grad students about becoming a peer reviewer:
...And why should you have one?
An ORCID is a unique identifier assigned to an author, like a Social Security Number. It's a way of distinguishing between authors with similar names, and determining if two different versions of a name actually belong to the same author (eg. if a name changes due to marriage).
Publishers are starting to require that authors include their ORCID or sign up for one during the submission process. Why not create your ORCID now?
A summary of a research article that appears at the beginning of the document. Reading the abstract may help you decide if you want to read the full article.
A note, comment, or explanation. Can be added to citations to create annotated bibliographies.
A geographic information system (GIS) software developed by Esri. ArcGIS enables you to analyze, visualize, and interpret spatial data for better decision-making.
Written content on a narrow subject and published in a periodical or website. In some contexts, academics may use article as a shortened form of journal article.
A detailed list of resources cited in an article, book, or other publication. Also called a List of References.
A group of libraries in New England that work together to share resources with students, faculty, and staff of member libraries. Northeastern University is a member of this group. Requesting a consortium library card is free to Northeastern students.
A free library available to people who work, live or attend school in Massachusetts. Boston Public Library's collection includes physical and digital access to books, journals, and films.
A label of letters and/or numbers that tell you where the resource can be found in the library. Call numbers are displayed on print books and physical resources and correspond with a topic or subject area.
A list of all the items in a library's physical collection. Modern catalogs are searchable databases. Catalogs include information about the item's:
Also called a catalogue, OPAC. Historically a card catalog.
Software that can help you collect, organize, and cite sources. The library provides training on five specific citation managers: BibTeX, EndNote, Mendeley, RefWorks, and Zotero. Also called citation management software, citation management tool or reference manager.
Physical materials assigned by an instructor and held at the library. These materials are generally restricted to in-building use for a limited period. At faculty discretion, some materials may be checked out overnight or for a few days.
A searchable collection of similar items. Library databases include resources for research. Examples include: a newspaper database, such as Access World News, or a humanities scholarly journal database, such as JSTOR.
A searchable online storage space for video files, images, and documents. Specialized digital repositories collect materials related to a theme or institution.
Northeastern University Library manages the Digital Repository Service (DRS). The DRS collects digital material related to Northeastern University's history and academic work.
The conversion of print or analog material to a digital format. Examples of digitization include:
A paper written to fulfill requirements for a degree containing original research on a narrow topic. Also called a thesis.
A unique number assigned to some digital content. DOIs do not change even if the online location or ownership of the resource changes.
A digital version of a thesis or dissertation produced by a master's or Ph.D. student. Most theses and dissertations written by Northeastern University students are ETDs. Interested researchers can find Northeastern ETDs in the Digital Repository Service. Theses and dissertations written before 2007 are only available in print format in the Northeastern University Archives.
A broad category of research in which existing research is reviewed to clarify what is known. Evidence synthesis uses explicit and reproducible methods. Common types of evidence synthesis include systematic reviews, scoping reviews, integrative reviews, and umbrella reviews.
A computer-based means of storing, analyzing, and displaying geographic data. Researchers use Geographic Information Systems to create maps and charts.
A way of examining and interpreting data about geographic locations, or spatial data. Geospatial analysis examines spatial data to gain insights and identify patterns or trends. Also called geospacial analysis.
A government document shared to inform and start discussion about proposed policy.
Research or reports circulated outside of a traditional publication process. Types of grey literature include:
Also called gray literature.
The system Northeastern’s library uses for interlibrary loan requests. The first time you request materials, you’ll need to set up your account.
A library service that allows you to request resources your library does not have. At Northeastern University, this service is free. Materials are delivered electronically when possible.
A unique number used to identify books. Many databases and search engines allow you to search for a book using an ISBN.
An ongoing publication focused on current developments in a field. Journal issues are released on a regular schedule.
A unit of Northeastern’s library with responsibility for services or systems. Some departments are referred to by their acronyms:
A search setting that removes search results based on source attributes. Limiters vary by database but often include publication date, material type, and language. Also called: filter or facet.
Notes, comments, annotations, sketches, added to the margins of a text. These can be typed or hand-written. Marginalia can include headers, footnotes, and sidenotes. In some cases, marginalia are written by the author of a text, but is often notes made by a reader.
Information associated with a resource, usually organized in a specific way. The word metadata means "data about data".
Metadata varies but often includes title, creator, and format. Descriptive metadata makes it possible to find and identify resources in a collection. When the metadata in a collection is standardized, the predefined structure is called a metadata schema.
Research or data available for free. Open access resources are sometimes labeled with an unlocked padlock symbol. These resources often have permissive licenses that support re-use and sharing.
What is Open Access?
Words used to connect multiple search terms to bring back targeted results. Operators can be used to reduce or expand the number of search results. Operators include:
Also called: Boolean Operator.
Well-regarded review process used by some academic journals. Relevant experts review articles for quality and originality before publication. Articles reviewed using this process are called peer reviewed articles. Less often, these articles are called refereed articles.
A newspaper, magazine or journal that is published on a regular schedule.
A free and open-source Geographic Information System (GIS) application. This tool set enables you to capture, analyze, visualize, and share geographic data. QGIS is a Mac-friendly alternative to ArcGIS.
Data defined by a grid of equally sized cells, akin to pixels.
To transfer information from one format to another. Example: Scanning a paper newspaper to create an online or PDF version. Reformatting includes digitization.
A webpage or pages created by librarians to guide your research in a field or course. Research guides include links to resources, tutorials, and other information.
The removal of a published article from a journal. A journal’s editors or editorial board can decide to retract an article when it has serious errors. Errors that can result in retraction include:
A book or article written by academic researchers and published by an academic press or journal. Scholarly sources contain original research and commentary.
Common filetype (.shp) for points, lines, or polygons. This filetype is widely used in Geographic Information Systems, specifically ArcGIS. Various free shapefiles are available online.
A library database that searches a broad range of resources. Material in Scholar OneSearch includes:
Scholar OneSearch also includes information about material held at Northeastern’s libraries. Researchers can use ScholarOne Search to organize their research and manage borrowed items. To best serve Northeastern University's widespread community, ScholarOne Search has different views:
Appropriate views for each global campus are included on their Global Campus Portal.
Information tied to specific geographic locations or positions on the Earth's surface. Also known as “geospatial data”, GeoData, or spacial data.
Library staff who have expertise in an academic subject. A subject librarian can offer advice on:
Subject librarians are available to work with individuals and small groups. They create guides and tutorials and teach workshops.
A source focused on sharing news and information of interest to an industry. Trade publications are often published by industry associations. Periodicals related to an industry are called trade journals.
An unrepeated string of numbers and letters used to recognize and differentiate material. Also called an identification number. Examples include American citizen's’ social security numbers or published books' ISBNs. A persistent identifier (PID) is a long-lasting type of unique identifier. Persistent identifiers allow you to locate a resource with a URL. Examples include electronic articles' Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) and digital materials' handles.
The precise address for a webpage. URL stands for the words uniform resource locator.
A spatial model using coordinates for representing points, lines, and polygons.
A concise, researched report about a complex issue. Readers should gain enough understanding to solve a related problem or make a choice.
An article or conference proposal draft shared to invite feedback.