Most students and researchers struggle to publish their research work in a suitable and highly indexed journal. Lack of knowledge in organizing the paper, selecting a journal, formatting as per guidelines, and revising as per reviewer’s instruction are the reasons for such struggle. Getting published in prestigious, high-impact academic journals is a highly competitive proposition. However, these challenges can be avoided by following the below instructions:
Writing a research paper
Choosing the appropriate topic is the primary step of writing a research paper. A good and relevant topic must be selected with a narrow and interesting focus area, and yet wide enough to find sufficient data. Prepare an outline, note down all the information or ideas that must have come to mind while going through the literature review. Prepare a draft, organize the information collected. A rough draft must be prepared where the ideas are written in an unfinished form. This helps organize ideas and determines the final format of the paper. The draft must be revised as many times as possible to create a final product. The final document thus created is the first draft of the research paper.
Selecting a journal
Verify the scope of the target journal; even a remarkable, novel research work is likely to face rejection if the research topic doesn’t align with the scope of the journal. The quality of any journal is assessed based on the number of abstracting and indexing services. It is recommended to adopt a balanced and realistic approach while choosing the best journal.
Formatting
A research paper must be formatted so that it complies with the guidelines of a journal or style manual. Prepare your submission according to the specifications set out in the Author Guidelines of your chosen journal. Ensure that the word count falls within this range, not above or below it. The author’s information must be provided with a brief abstract and keywords. Further, the text must be arranged in headings Introduction, Methodology, Results, Discussions, and conclusion. Cite the references in the text as per the guidelines and list them after the conclusion. All the other necessary information regarding ethics, conflict of interest, funding, the acknowledgment must be provided on the title page.
Submission
Before submitting the research paper the author must have all the mandatory information required for submission. Kindly read the checklist provided on the journal site and prepare the documents accordingly. Once the information is collected, proceed with the registration step and complete the submission carefully.
Cover letter and Abstract
The abstract should be prepared carefully and encompass the aim and scope of the study; the key problem to be addressed and theory; the method used; the data set; key findings; limitations; and implications for theory and practice. A cover letter speaks about the uniqueness of the research work that has been carried out, what makes the findings of the research study of deep significance to the future of the discipline, and why the research methodologies employed to carry out the research are extraordinary and profound.
Conclusion
All the above criteria must be considered if aiming to publish a research paper in a highly indexed journal. High-impact and highly indexed journals accept less than 10% of the research papers submitted to them, hence, proper attention, planning, and careful implementation are required to improve the likelihood of getting their work published.
