Publishing - Science - BioPhy Library -Molecular and Cell Biology - LibGuides at University of the Witwatersrand

Department of Higher Education and Training Accredited Publications

Department of Higher Education and Training, Research Output Policy. Communiqué 2 of 2015. This policy is a newly revised version of the Policy and Procedures for Measurement of Research Output of Public Higher Education Institutions of 2003. The revised policy will be effective from 1 January 2016, and will therefore be applicable to the 2016 research outputs that will be evaluated in 2017 and onwards. The purpose of this communication is to explain the key amendments incorporated in the revised policy and their implications thereof.
2018 CONSOLIDATED ACCREDITED JOURNAL LISTS Web of Science (Science Citation Index, Social Science Citation Index, Arts and Humanities Citation Index); the International Bibliography of Social Sciences (IBSS), the list of South African published journals, SciELO SA, Scopus and the Norwegian list (Level 2)

Accredited Journals: To receive a subsidy and recognition for research output, you should select a journal which is commissioned from one of the lists below by the Department of Higher Education and Training. The Accredited Journals is a collection of journals indexed in Web of Science (Science Citation Index, Social Science Citation Index, Arts and Humanities Citation Index); the International Bibliography of Social Sciences (IBSS), the list of South African published journals, SciELO SA, Scopus and the Norwegian list (Level 2) of accredited journals. The following list contains the titles of each of the above accredited lists for 2017.

For your convenience we include a SEARCH ENGINE FOR ACCREDITED JOURNALS where ALL the accredited journal lists can be searched simultaneously. ~ (Courtesy of Corrie Breitenbach and Elize van Eldik, North-West University Library)

Predatory Journals and Publishers

When considering where to publish, please be wary of 'predatory' journals. Most of the journals you will come across are legitimate, however some are questionable. These predatory journals may lack credibility and in a few cases they may even be a scam.

Not all Open Access journals are predatory. Check the credibility of any journal you are considering submitting to. For example, you can check if the journal is from a well established academic publisher. However, it can be harder to tell if a journal from a new publisher is credible or not. The following site describes criteria you can use for determining if a publisher could be predatory.

Jeffrey Beall, a librarian at the University of Colorado Denver, has compiled lists of "potential, possible, or probable predatory" journals and publishers. Authors using these lists to screen publishers and standalone journals are encouraged to reach their own conclusions.

Important information regarding Beall's blog and lists.

“Jeffrey Beall, associate professor and librarian at the University of Colorado Denver, has decided to no longer maintain or publish his research or blog on open access journals and “predatory publishers.” CU Denver supports and recognizes the important work Professor Beall has contributed to the field and to scholars worldwide. CU Denver also understands and respects his decision to take down his website scholarlyoa.com at this time. Professor Beall remains on the faculty at the university and will be pursuing new areas of research.

If someone has more questions, please refer them directly to Jeffrey’s professional email (Jeffrey.Beall@ucdenver.edu), or to Emily in Media Relations.”

Publishers - Beall’s List: (cached)

Potential, possible, or probable predatory scholarly open-access publishers

Standalone Journals - Beall's List: (cached)

Potential, possible, or probable predatory scholarly open-access journals

If you receive a solicitation to publish in a journal or with a publisher you aren’t familiar with, please contact your librarian to investigate further.

FOR INTEREST:

Criteria for Determining Predatory Open - Access Publishers

“Dear Esteemed Author:” Spotting a Predatory Publisher in 10 Easy Steps
If you read the title and had some idea what it meant, you have probably received a letter from a dubious-looking publisher, asking you to submit your work.
10 point guide to dodging publishing pitfalls
Veteran academic authors share their hard-won tips.
What to do when you receive a solicitation to publish
It is not uncommon for some publishers to solicit manuscripts or journal articles either by contacting recent graduates directly or putting out a “call for papers." While most publishers are legitimate, some are considered predatory, and their offers are often scams.

Publication Strategy: Useful Sources

Consult the following resources and webpages to assist with your Publication strategy:

Relevant Electronic Resouces listed on Libguides: Scan the relevant databases and indexed journal titles in your research area.

Journal Citation Reports: Provides annual rankings of Thomson Reuters journals (Science: 8400+; Social Science: 3000+) by various measures, including Impact Factor.

Scopus: The Scopus Journal Analyzer provides a view of journal performance, enriched with two journal metrics - SJR (SCImago Journal Rank) and SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper).

Essential Science Indicators: Determine he most influential individuals, institutions, papers, and publications.

Journal Finder: From Elsevier. Includes open access options and provides information about publication speeds and impact factors.

Google Scholar Metrics: Google Scholar Metrics provide an easy way for authors to quickly gauge the visibility and influence of recent articles in scholarly publications. Scholar Metrics summarize recent citations to many publications, to help authors as they consider where to publish their new research.

Open Access: The Sherpa RoMEO site offers information about publishers' policies with respect to self-archiving pre-print and post-print research papers. For more information on Open Access and the Univesity's policy consult the Scholarly Communcation/Publication Libguide.

Publication Strategy: Criteria

Proofreading, editing and copywriting.

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Open Access Publishing

The term Open Access describes the nature of access, rather than a specific business model, licence or type of content.

The primary difference between traditional publishing and open access is that in the OA model the bills are not paid by readers or institution and do not function as access barriers.

The open access philosophy supports the goal of providing unrestricted access to data or published materials. The key objectives of the OA movement have some significant benefits to researchers.

Maximise dissemination

Open access to material:

Removes cost barriers to broaden access.
Enables access for anyone with an internet connection.
Supports the philosophy of public access to publicly funded research.
Assists researchers in developing countries.

Increase exposure and visibility

Material that is open access:

Will be more readily discoverable and retrievable.
May attract higher number of citations and greater impact.
Provides the opportunity for earlier access to material e.g. pre-prints

Enhance scholarly communication

Open access allows for:

Quicker dissemination to speed up the research process.
Increased awareness of current research to avoid duplication.
Enhanced collaboration through OA resource networks.
Archiving of material through hosting on secure networks.

Important: Authors should be able to choose the best publication venue for their research, whether open access or not. In addition to this decision researchers are encouraged to upload the pre-print, post-print or publishers PDF article in the Wits institutional repository, WIReDSpace.

For details on the publishers copyright and self-archiving policies consult Sherpa/Romeo.

** MORE INFORMATION ON SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION AND OPEN ACCESS PUBLISHING.