Hoping to get your research published? There are thousands of academic publishers to choose from. Explore the options below to find the best home for the results of your scholarly activity.  

Visit Open Access Publishing for additional information about publishing in open access journals and books.  

Publish a Book

In addition to asking colleagues and librarians for suggestions, the following sources are useful when looking for a suitable book publisher:  

  • Association of University Presses - Lists more than 150 university presses focused on publishing scholarly works across disciplines.
  • Directory of Open Access Books - Search for titles on topics related to your research or browse a list of publishers to identify scholarly, peer-reviewed open access books publishers.
  • WorldCat - Search for books on topics related to your areas of research then visit the publisher websites for these books to learn more about submitting a book proposal.

Publish an Article

Find Scholarly Journals

  • Directory of Open Access Journals - Indexes scholarly peer-reviewed open access journals covering all subjects.
  • SCImago Journal & Country Rank - Provides citation and publication metrics on academic journals' relative scientific influence.
    Note: Journal metrics are not always a reliable measure of overall quality and worth since citation practices vary by discipline, and not all journals are accounted for in ranking tools.
  • Ulrichsweb (MacEwan login required) - Information on over 300,000 periodicals of all types: academic journals, magazines, and more.

Find Undergraduate Journals

When exploring undergraduate journal options, verify that the journal does not limit who can submit work (e.g., only students who attend a specific university).

Understanding the Publication Process

Before You Submit Your Article

  • Read through information on journal websites and consider the following:
    • Is the journal currently accepting new submissions?
    • How often does it publish?
    • Is the journal peer-reviewed to help ensure quality and academic rigor?
    • Is it open access or do readers need a subscription to view its content? This can impact how many people have access to your work and who you can share it with once published.

If you still have questions or concerns, contact the journal's manager. Once you publish your work with a journal you will not be able to publish that same work elsewhere in the future - so choose wisely!

After You Have Submitted Your Article

If you have submitted to a peer-reviewed journal, your work will be sent to other experts in your field for review before deciding whether to publish it. This process can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. After your work has been reviewed, you will receive one of the following responses along with reviewer feedback:

  • Accepted: Congratulations, you're going to be published!
  • Revisions required: You will need to review feedback and make corrections to your work before re-submitting for publication. This is very common and provides an opportunity to make your work even better before others see it.
  • Rejected: It happens to the best of us! Review feedback and decide whether to rewrite your work and re-submit to the same journal or submit to a different journal that is a better fit.

After You Have Been Published

Show off your accomplishment by including a reference to your work on your resume or CV, mentioning it on social media (e.g., X, LinkedIn), and highlighting it in graduate school applications. Visit Author Profiles [Add Link] for more options.

Your article may also qualify for inclusion in MacEwan's institutional repository, Research Online at MacEwan (RO@M). Send a citation for your work to roam@macewan.ca for consideration.

Evaluating Publishers

When considering a publisher, ask yourself the following questions:

  • Indexing: Do other books by the publisher show up when searching WorldCat and the MacEwan Library search? Is the journal indexed in reputable article databases? Use MacEwan Library’s Find by Citation tool to find out.
  • Fees: Is the publisher up front about any author charges?
  • Members: Does the publisher list a managing editor and editorial board members with legitimate academic affiliations and contact information?
  • Frequency: Does the publisher publish regularly?
  • Policies and procedures: Does the publisher provide detailed information about author submission guidelines, peer-review processes, copyright, etc.?
  • Overall quality: Does the publisher’s website have typos or broken links? Are works professionally copy-edited? Is this somewhere you are proud to have your work featured?

Additional Resources:

  • How to Assess a Journal - A handout by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries listing key considerations when choosing a journal publisher.
  • Think Check Submit - Provides a range of tools and resources to help researchers evaluate academic publishers.  

Need help?

Contact your Subject Librarian or email digitalscholarship@macewan.ca with details about the research you are planning to publish for assistance identifying relevant publishers in your field.