Journal Selection

Overview

This skill helps select target journals for a paper based on current web information. It does not maintain a static journal database — journal scopes, rankings, and editorial direction change, and stale data gives bad advice. Instead, every recommendation is verified via web fetch in the current session. The skill is field-agnostic: it detects the paper's research area and suggests appropriate outlets across ambition tiers.

When to Use

• "Where should I submit this paper?"
• "What journals would take a paper on X?"
• "Rank these three journals for me"
• Planning a submission strategy with fallback options
• Checking a journal's current scope or editorial focus
• Comparing journals by review time, fees, or acceptance rate

Mandatory Steps

1. Identify the paper's field and contribution level from the abstract, topic, and the user's stated ambition. The field determines which rankings and database subsets apply.

2. Search journals via web search — do not use a static list or cached knowledge. Journal scopes, rankings, and editorial boards change.

3. Verify each candidate via web fetch on the journal's official homepage. Confirm it is still active, currently accepting submissions, and matches the paper's topic. If the journal has changed scope or is no longer active, drop it.

4. Check rankings appropriate to the user's context:

   • JCR (Journal Citation Reports) and Scimago (SJR) for most fields
   • RePEc rankings for economics
   • Qualis/Capes for Brazilian authors (national evaluation system)
   • ABS Academic Journal Guide for business and management
   • ERA (Australian Research Council) for multidisciplinary use