Start with fit and current coverage

Shortlist journals whose aims and recent articles match your manuscript. Check their exact identities and coverage through Scopus content information. A previously indexed title may have a different current coverage status. Keep your check date and the applicable year.

Read the whole fee policy

A no-APC route can differ from an optional paid open-access route. Check submission, page, colour, language-editing and other charges directly with the publisher. Record which fees are mandatory, optional or conditional. “Free” on a directory does not resolve this question. This article does not maintain a live list of fee-free titles.

A fast decision is not guaranteed acceptance

Publisher timelines describe processes or past experience and may vary by manuscript. Ask whether a quoted interval concerns desk screening, first review, acceptance or online publication. Do not infer rigorous review or inevitable acceptance from a short deadline, and avoid selecting a journal solely to meet a marketing promise.

Make a useful comparison

Compare scope fit, publication route, mandatory costs, review policy, licensing, archiving and database coverage. If two journals meet your needs, prefer the one whose evidence you can trace and whose conditions your institution accepts. Check the fee page again before submitting.

Sources and review notes

Reviewed 9 October 2026. Examples explicitly described as illustrative are not assessments of named events or journals.