If you are an early career researcher you may find our PDF guides (available in both English and Chinese) helpful.

It may be tempting to begin writing a paper before giving much thought to where it might be published. However, choosing a journal to target before you begin to prepare your paper will enable you to tailor your writing to the journal’s audience. It will also enable you to format your paper according to any specific guidelines, which you may find on the journal’s website. This may save you a lot of time and effort in the long run. Some of the key factors to consider when trying to choose the right journal for your work are:

Peer review service

Peer review is considered a stamp of quality from the research community. It is important to consider whether a journal is published by a reputable and trustworthy publisher who provides a rigorous peer review service (as IOP Publishing does for all its journals). If fast publication is important to you, you may also wish to check with the publisher the publication times for the journal you are considering.

Relevance/audience

You should browse published articles in the journal to establish whether the journal publishes similar papers to the one you are preparing. Check whether your peers publish in the journal. It may also help to review the make-up of the Editorial Board to see if it contains senior researchers in your field.

Scope

The scope may be found on the journal homepage. It is important to consider whether your work fits within the scientific scope of the journal and the topics covered. Also consider whether the journal is broad in its scope or a specialist journal read mainly by a particular community, as this will affect the way that you write your paper. Another consideration is the article types the journal publishes. For example, some work is best suited to the shorter ‘Letter’ format, while other work may suit the longer ‘Paper’ format.

Reputation/quality level

You should consider the reputation of the journal in its field and whether it is considered to be of high quality. Also, you should think about whether it is widely read by your peers. Reputation is often based on impact factor, which is a measure of the average citations of papers published in the journal. High impact factor journals may have high rejection rates, so in choosing a suitable journal you should consider just how novel/significant your research findings are.

Indexing

You should check whether the journal is indexed in the major online databases such as Web of Science or Scopus (this is generally the case for all IOP journals). Indexing increases the visibility and discoverability of the work, and may indicate a trusted journal. For our journals, this information can be found under ‘Abstracted in’ on the journal homepages.

Language requirements

Most international journals publish papers written in English. You should consider the language requirements of the journal, and whether you will need to have your paper checked by a native English speaker to ensure that it is understandable. IOP journals offer authors a language editing service.

Cost

The journal website should inform you of any fees that you may be charged, and you should consider whether your institution or funder will be able to cover the charge if there is one. For example, charges may apply for colour figures or for publishing your paper on a (gold) open access basis.

Publishing model: open access or subscription?

The cost of publishing a paper can be paid for in a number of ways. Traditionally, libraries and other institutions pay a subscription fee to receive individual journals or collections of titles for their researchers. This is known as the subscription model and, as an author, you usually do not have to pay a fee to publish a paper in a subscription journal. You may however incur a page charge for some journals or be charged for colour figures.

The (gold) open access publishing model allows published papers to be freely available for anyone to read. This means that authors, research institutions or funding organizations may fund the costs of publishing. In return, authors ensure that everyone can access their work. If you wish to submit for (gold) open access publication (most journals published by IOP Publishing offer this option) always check with your institution to ensure that there are funds available to cover the article publication charges.

One submission. A seamless transfer path

If your article isn’t the right fit for one journal, a transfer can help keep your manuscript moving towards publication.

Sometimes a manuscript may not be the best fit for the journal it was originally submitted to. When this happens, our expert in-house Editors can recommend another IOP Publishing journal that may be a better match for your research.

Through our article transfer service, you can move your submission to a suitable journal without having to start the submission process again.

Why accept a transfer offer?

• Save time – There is no need to prepare a new submission. We transfer your manuscript and submission details on your behalf, helping you move quickly to the next stage of consideration.
• Keep the momentum – Where reviewer reports are already available, they can be transferred with your manuscript. This means the Editor may be able to use existing feedback rather than starting the review process from the beginning.
• Reduce the burden on reviewers – By transferring reviewer reports alongside your manuscript, we can make the most of feedback that has already been provided. This helps avoid unnecessary repeat reviews and supports a more efficient peer review process.
• Benefit from more publication opportunities – In some cases, our Editors may recommend more than one suitable journal for your article, giving you a choice of publication routes and helping you find the best home for your research.
• Benefit from expert guidance – Our Editors understand the scope and requirements of every IOP Publishing journal. A transfer is only offered when we believe your article has strong potential to be considered by another journal in our portfolio.
• Stay in control – Accepting a transfer is entirely your choice. If you decide not to proceed, you are free to submit your article elsewhere.

What happens next?

1. Review the recommended journal – Your transfer offer will include details of the journal or journals suggested by our Editors. We recommend reviewing the journal’s aims and scope before making your decision.
2. Accept the transfer – If you choose to proceed, your manuscript, submission files and any reviewer reports will be transferred for you. No resubmission is required.
3. Editorial assessment – The receiving journal’s Editor will assess your manuscript and decide the most appropriate next step. Depending on the stage your paper has reached, they may:
   • send the manuscript for peer review
   • invite revisions based on existing reviewer comments
4. Final decision – Once any required reviews or revisions have been completed, the Editor will make a decision on your manuscript.
   It’s important to note: a transfer is not a guarantee of acceptance. The Editor on the new journal may decide that the article needs further rounds of review to ensure suitability for the journal.

Journal transfer FAQs

Will I need to submit my manuscript again?

No. Once you accept a transfer offer, your manuscript files and key submission information are transferred directly to the receiving journal. This means you can continue the publication journey without starting a new submission from scratch.

How quickly will my transfer be processed?

Transfers are designed to minimise delays. Your files and submission details are transferred directly between journals, helping your manuscript move smoothly to the next stage of assessment.

Will I need to make revisions before transfer?

No, your manuscript will be transferred in its current form. If revisions are required, or were suggested by reviewers, the receiving journal will return your manuscript to you for you to make the necessary changes.

Can reviewer reports be transferred?

Yes. Where reviewer reports are available and appropriate to share, they will be transferred alongside your manuscript. This can help the receiving journal assess your work more efficiently and may reduce unnecessary duplication of peer review.

Does accepting a transfer guarantee publication?

No. While a transfer offer indicates that editors believe your research could be a good fit for another IOP Publishing journal, all manuscripts are assessed according to the receiving journal’s editorial policies and peer review requirements.

Why was my manuscript offered a transfer?

A transfer is recommended when editors believe your research may be better suited to another journal within the IOP Publishing portfolio. The aim is to help you find the most appropriate home for your work and maximise its publication potential.

Can I choose not to transfer?

Absolutely. Accepting a transfer is entirely your decision. If you prefer not to proceed, you are free to submit your manuscript to another journal of your choice.

Will the receiving journal have a different scope or audience?

Potentially. The recommended journal may target a different research community, subject area or audience that is better aligned with your work.