Finding the right journal can be a challenge. Start with the Journal Selection Checklist or the other tools below for finding the right place for your article. If you need help, please contact the library.
Tools to identify journals that have published on a topic
Lists of Journals
The Medical Center Library maintains membership subscriptions to BMJ Case Reports and BMJ Open Quality to facilitate publication. For all Duke faculty, staff and students submitting to these two BMJ journals, please use the following codes:
You must be currently affiliated with Duke to use these codes.
Did you receive an email invitation to publish or are you curious whether a new journal meets your quality standards? When assessing a journal, it is important to differentiate between fraudulent, new, and low quality journals, which are too easily lumped together under the cloud of "Predatory journals." In general, "predatory journals" are those that "accept articles for publication — along with authors’ fees — without performing promised quality checks for issues such as plagiarism or ethical approval" (Nature 2019). They often send email solicitations, mimic the names of high quality journals, and generally create confusion. There are several checklists for assessing the potential predatory nature of journals; see below or email us at medical-librarian@duke.edu for assistance.
Online instruction for researchers to simplify publishing is available at Wiley Researcher Academy.
14 Learning Paths cover topics related to funding, writing, publishing, data management and becoming a reviewer.
Registration is required, but accounts are free.
The EQUATOR Network maintains a searchable list of reporting guidelines for research. These consensus documents delineate what needs to be included in articles describing health research, such as randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and animal studies. Many journals require authors to follow the relevant guidelines for the type of research conducted.
Over 400 reporting guidelines are available, including:
| CONSORT | Randomized Controlled Trials |
| PRISMA | Systematic Reviews |
| CARE | Case Reports |
| ARRIVE | Animal Pre-Clinical Studies |