Given that I am pretty outspoken that authors should always write their papers for the top journals in their field, I have been asked by a couple of people if I always submit my papers to a top journal.
The answer - which is never satisfying - is that it depends.
I have also been asked when do I decide where to submit.
The answer - which is also not satisfying - is that the decision isn’t mine - it’s my teams.
When a team draws closer to finishing a project, we usually ask ourselves about where to target.
At this point, we have:
* designed the best possible study, given our constraints - e.g., access to resources, industry, and participants.
* completed rigorous analysis - so we know what does and does not work
* drafted through the initial conclusions.
We feel pretty well-positioned to forecast possibilities for success.
Sometimes, we conclude we need to do another study - and the research design process starts anew.
We often pick a specific journal & tailor the paper to its format.
Most often, given this is the end of a 14 to 18-month cycle of work, we decide to chase a top journal.
So what does that mean?
First, we are confident in our work’s novelty.
We have reviewed the journal and adjacent journals & found little or no similar work.
Second, we are confident in our work’s rigor.
We make sure everything works. If it does not, we either calibrate to a lower journal or design a new study.
Three, we have detected no fatal flaws.
We know that our theory, study, and analysis line up with each other, and nothing important is missing.
This point is essential because you are more likely to get rejected for something you didn’t do than you did.
Fourth, the paper’s limitations are reasonable.
This means we can identify ways the next person can address them or they are problems that plague similar work.
Fifth, it just feels ready.
You will know when it feels good. A coauthor recently sent me a near-final version, and I commented, aren’t the contributions thin?
They agreed.
We then knew it was time for more work.
Sixth, we believe the paper makes a significant contribution.
If we do not, and no one wants to get more data, we target a different type of journal.
Finally, we are satisfied with the answers in the paper.
A reviewer can sense a lack of confidence. If we aren’t satisfied, we calibrate for a more developmental journal.
Note: targeting a non-top journal does not mean submitting garbage. In my experience, those review panels are just as tough as top journals. It means you submit your best work to a different audience.
Best of luck this week! And if you are in the States, have a good holiday!
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