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Research & Publishing in Health Sciences: Publish Your Research

Learn about library resources, selecting journals, predatory publishing, and EndNote.

Selecting Appropriate Journals

This section of the guide is designed to assist UK library patrons with:

  • identifying journals in which to publish.
  • choosing the correct journal to publish in.
  • addressing Open Access journals pros and cons.
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Which journals are used by you or mentors/colleagues?
Consider reviewing where your colleagues and mentors have published. These journals may be highly recommend in your field, and therefore, would be a great place to start when considering your own publications. Other questions to ask yourself: Which journals do you use frequently to keep track of new developments in your field? Does your professional organization publish journals?

Who is your desired audience?
It is important to consider your desired audience. Does the scope and aim of the journal you are considering meet the needs of your desired audience? If not, may be you should consider another journal. If the target audience is limited to a select area of research, select a journal with a narrow focus as opposed to one with a multidisciplinary focus. More specialized journals, even with a potentially smaller readership, may offer a broader dissemination of your work to your peers in a specific area of research.

Are you required to comply with public access mandates for sharing of publications and/or data?
Was your research funded by an organization that requires researcher to comply with public access mandates for the sharing of published materials and/or the data created? Check the author's information page on a the journals website to ensure that the journal meets the public access requirements set by your funding organization. In addition, some journals offer repositories for data. This may be helpful if you are required to publish your data. You can always use a subject specific repository for your data if this is not available.

Do you need to publish in a peer-reviewed journal?
Publication in peer-reviewed journals is a requirement for tenure and promotion at most academic institutions. So it is important that you evaluate the peer review process of the journals you are considering submitting too.

Is an expedited review process desired?
If you are looking for a quick turn around consider a journal with a frequent (weekly or monthly) publication schedule. This information can be found on the journal's information page.

Determining Predatory Journals

Predatory publishers exploit the need of faculty to publish. While the methods vary, these publishers have common characteristics:

  • Their primary goal is to make money.
  • They do not adequately review articles and therefore the quality of what they publish.
  • They engage in unethical business practices.
  • They do not follow accepted standards for scholarly publishing.
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Publish Open Access

Open Access is NOT Predatory Publishing

Open Access (OA) is the practice of providing the public with unrestricted online access to scholarly journal articles.

ADVANTAGES
  • Freely available resources can mean a wider audience. If your article is freely available then more people can read your work.  
  • Authors often retain copyright, which is not usually the case in traditional publishing.
  • OA is a global initiative. Individuals who may have not been able to access you work through traditional means, may have access via OA.
DISADVANTAGES
  • Some OA journals charge author fees to publish. Fees vary. Note: Sometimes there are publishing options (e.g., Taylor and Francis Gold Open Access vs. Green Open Access). One option may be free while the other has a fee.
  • Concerns about quality control and authenticity of documents.
  • Open Access journals are relatively new, and therefore may not have an impact factor. This can be especially important to researchers in science and medicine.

If you are interested in publishing in an OA journal consider using the Directory of Open Access Journals. These journals have been vetted and are authoritative.

On the Open Access Guide there is a list of fee discounts that can be used by University of Kentucky affiliated researchers.

Still need help with OA?

Contact the Medical Center Library (859) 323-5300, or the MCL General Reference Email @ mclre@uky.edu .

Addressing Bias Through Education: The Differences Between OA and Predatory

UK Libraries Open Access Discounts

UK Libraries offers APC discounts through our subscriptions with specific publishers. Below are a few examples relevant to medical and health sciences disciplines:

  • BMJ Case Reports
    • please contact the Medical Center Library at mclre@uky.edu to request access to the APC discount for BMJ Case Reports
  • Endocrine-Related Cancer
  • Journal of Endocrinology
  • Journal of Molecular Endocrinology
  • MDPI Journals

Learn more about the discounts here: https://libguides.uky.edu/OpenAccess/discounts

Please note that UK Libraries currently do not provide funding to cover APCs.

UKnowledge

UKnowledge is the University of Kentucky's Digital Repository. There is an additional LibGuide available that shows how Students and Faculty can use UKnowledge. It also describes how to upload different types of documents such as Theses or Dissertations. Finally, it explains how to create a Researcher Profile.

Image Credits & Citations:

Icons made by Good Ware from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC 3.0 BY
Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC 3.0 BY
Beckerguides: Selecting a Journal For Publication: Questions To Ask Before Selecting a Journal https://beckerguides.wustl.edu/c.php?g=648201&p=4545482

How the Library Can Help

The Medical Center Library provides a few different services. First is that we have a Literature Search Request Form that can be filled out with keywords and/or MeSH headings.

In addition, we also provide support for Systematic Reviews. That information can be found on the Systematic Review Guide.