Journal Quality Survey

How do you decide if a journal is high quality?

We’d like to find out more about what you consider important in a high-quality publication. What factors help you decide if a journal is a good place to publish your article, or is a reliable source of the latest research.

Question Title

* 1. Journal websites typically include a range of metrics. Which of the below are most important to you in assessing the quality of a journal? Select up to three metrics.

Impact Factor

Other citation metrics (e.g. Citescore, or SNIP)

Number of article downloads/views

Acceptance rate

Time from acceptance to publication

Time from submission to acceptance

None of the above

Question Title

* 2. Beyond the metrics noted in Q1, which other factors affect your perception of a journal’s quality? Select up to three factors.

The peer review model the journal uses (anonymous, single-blind, double-blind, open, post-publication)

Whether the journal is affiliated with a learned society

Personal experience of publishing in the journal before

Feedback on the journal from colleagues or supervisors

Influence on policy makers, the media, social media and other channels outside of academia

The reputation of the publisher

The reputations of the Editor/Editorial Board members

Whether or not the journal is indexed in A&I services relevant to your field

None of the above

Question Title

* 3. Are there any other factors or metrics that are important to you in assessing the quality of a journal?

Question Title

* 4. Which of the following, are you usually aware of before visiting a journal website? Either the exact information or an approximation.

	Yes. I am usually aware of this	No, I don't usually know this	It depends on the journal
The journal acceptance rate	The journal acceptance rate Yes. I am usually aware of this	The journal acceptance rate No, I don't usually know this	The journal acceptance rate It depends on the journal
Time from submission to acceptance	Time from submission to acceptance Yes. I am usually aware of this	Time from submission to acceptance No, I don't usually know this	Time from submission to acceptance It depends on the journal
Name of the editor	Name of the editor Yes. I am usually aware of this	Name of the editor No, I don't usually know this	Name of the editor It depends on the journal
How widely read the journal is in fields outside of academia	How widely read the journal is in fields outside of academia Yes. I am usually aware of this	How widely read the journal is in fields outside of academia No, I don't usually know this	How widely read the journal is in fields outside of academia It depends on the journal
Time from acceptance to publication	Time from acceptance to publication Yes. I am usually aware of this	Time from acceptance to publication No, I don't usually know this	Time from acceptance to publication It depends on the journal
Whether or not the journal is indexed in A&I services relevant to your field	Whether or not the journal is indexed in A&I services relevant to your field Yes. I am usually aware of this	Whether or not the journal is indexed in A&I services relevant to your field No, I don't usually know this	Whether or not the journal is indexed in A&I services relevant to your field It depends on the journal
Whether the journal is affiliated with a learned society	Whether the journal is affiliated with a learned society Yes. I am usually aware of this	Whether the journal is affiliated with a learned society No, I don't usually know this	Whether the journal is affiliated with a learned society It depends on the journal
Whether the journal has an impact factor or not	Whether the journal has an impact factor or not Yes. I am usually aware of this	Whether the journal has an impact factor or not No, I don't usually know this	Whether the journal has an impact factor or not It depends on the journal