Open access and impact factors

Eva Hessman and Helen Sjöblom work at the University of Gothenburg library. In the interview below, they tell us what you might think about when publishing the results of a clinical study in a scientific periodical.

How do you find a periodical for publishing the results of a clinical study?

There is no shortcut to finding solely clinical periodicals; instead, the same method applies here as for other types of periodicals. There are several services that create proposals based on your text, often the abstract and title of the article. These search services may be neutral, but the major publishers also have corresponding services.

You can also conduct a subject search, using one of the large citation databases such as Scopus or Web of Science. When you have completed your search, you can see which periodicals have published the largest number of articles on your subject. Do this by either checking “Sources/Source title” in the left margin under “Refine results”, or by using the databases’ “Analyze results” function.

What do you need to think about when choosing a periodical?

An important aspect of the choice of periodical is, of course, how your research results are disseminated.

• Can the article be found using a search on PubMed, for example? Ulrichsweb lists periodicals and the databases where they are indexed.
• Is is important that you publish in a prestigious periodical? Incites lists periodicals and their impact using impact factors.
• Is it important that as many as possible can access and read your article in full text format? Then you should choose an open access periodical. Many higher education institutions have agreements that give discounts on publishing with several open access publishers. Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) lists quality-controlled open access periodicals.

You can also use the website Think Check Submit to safeguard the quality of periodicals.

What help can a librarian provide when you want to publish a scientific article?

We can help you to navigate among all the sources listed above. We know about things like databases, the requirements of research funding bodies, impact and publication routes, and are keen to provide advice and guidance.