In attempting to classify the theme, the author should limit his choice to a single discipline. With the increasing specialization in the academic world, it is unlikely that reviewers, editors or readers will understand an article that requires knowledge of two different disciplines. If these groups do not understand a manuscript, the journal will reject it.

If a manuscript emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach, it is important to decide who will be reading the article. The approach should be to explain the theoretical concepts of one discipline to the specialist in another discipline. The author should not attempt to resolve theoretical issues present in his/her discipline and explain their implications for specialists in another discipline.

Although the discipline classifications indicate the number of journals interested in your manuscript topic, the manuscript guidelines help the author determine the journals that will most likely have the greatest interest in the manuscript. The manuscript guidelines provide a detailed statement of the criteria for judging manuscripts, the editorial objectives, the readership and the journal's content and approach. This information makes it possible to determine more precisely the congruence between the manuscript and the type of articles the journal publishes. The Directory contains the manuscript guidelines for a large number of journals.
Show less

The journals with the lowest acceptance rate will tend to publish those manuscripts that make the most significant contributions to the advancement of the discipline. Since these journals receive a large number of manuscripts, the editors distinguish those manuscripts likely to make a significant contribution to the reader's knowledge.

Defining newness or the contribution of any one study to the understanding of a discipline is difficult. However, it is possible to gain some insight into this definition by asking the following questions:

Is the author stating the existence of a variable, trend or problem not previously recognized by the literature?

Is the author testing the interactions of a different set of variables or events?

Is the author presenting a new technique to cope with a problem or test an idea not previously presented in the literature?

Is the author using a subject sample with different characteristics than previously presented in the literature?

If the manuscript does not satisfy one of the first two categories, it is unlikely that a journal with a low acceptance rate will accept it for publication. Thus, the author should send the manuscript to those journals where the acceptance rate is higher.

Although the Directory provides the acceptance rates of manuscripts for many different journals, it is important to examine the data on percentage of invited articles for each journal. A high acceptance rate may result because the editor has asked leaders in the discipline to write articles on a particular subject. These invited articles are usually accepted. Since the author of an unsolicited manuscript competes with the leaders in the discipline, the manuscript will have to make a significant contribution to receive the editor's approval.
Show less

Since the most important goal for an author is to publish the manuscript, the author should consider the prestige of the journal only after the manuscript has a relatively high probability of being published by more than one journal. This probability is determined by the responses the author received to his query letter and the similarity between the finished manuscript and the needs of the journal.

The method of determining the prestige of a journal varies depending on its readership, review process and acceptance rate. If the readership is primarily administrators or practicing professionals and the goal of the author is to improve the author's image and that of the institution, the journal's circulation would probably be the best indicator of prestige.

In contrast, the author whose goal is to become known among the author's colleagues might consider the type of review process the journal uses as well as its circulation. With a few exceptions, the most prestigious journals with academic readership use a refereed review process.
Show less

To determine the amount of knowledge the author is likely to gain requires consideration of the number of reviewers the journal uses in the review process, the availability of the reviewer's comments and the time required for the review process. If the journal makes the reviewer's comments available to the author, this provides a great learning opportunity. Also, the more people that review the manuscript, the greater the author's knowledge will be concerning how to improve the present manuscript. Hopefully, the author will transfer the knowledge gained from writing this manuscript to future manuscripts.

Should the review process take a small amount of time relative to a long period of time, the author is provided with a greater opportunity to use this knowledge to revise the manuscript. To assist the author in determining those journals that provide a suitable learning opportunity, each journal in the Directory includes information on the number of reviewers, availability of reviewer's comments to the author and time required for review.
Show less

The cover letter sent with the manuscript makes it easy for the editor to select reviewers and monitor the manuscript while it is in the review process. This letter should include the title of the manuscript, the author name(s), mailing address(es) phone and fax number(s) and e-mail addresses. In addition, this letter should provide a brief description of the manuscript theme, its applicability and significance to the journal's readership. Finally, it should request a copy of the reviewer's comments regardless of whether the manuscript is accepted or rejected.
Show less

These changes may include providing additional information and/or presenting the topic in a more concise manner. Also, the author needs to determine whether some error occurred in selecting the journal to receive the manuscript. Regardless of the source of the errors, the author needs to make those changes that will improve the manuscript's chances of being accepted by the next journal to receive it.

Unless the journal specifically requests the author to revise the manuscript for publication, the author should not send the manuscript to the journal that first rejected it. In rejecting the manuscript, the reviewers implied that it could not be revised to meet their standards for publication. Thus, sending it back to them would not improve the likelihood that the manuscript will be accepted.

If your manuscript is accepted, go out and celebrate, but write another one very quickly. When you find you're doing something right, keep doing it so you won't forget.
Show less

The use of a blind review process means that the author of the manuscript is not made known to the reviewer. With the large number of reviewers and journals, it is also likely that the name of the reviewers for a particular manuscript is not made known to the author. Thus, creating a double blind review process. Since the author and reviewers are frequently unknown, the manuscript is judged on its merits rather than on the reputation of the author and/or the author's influence on the reviewers.

The use of two (2) reviewers permits specialists familiar with research similar to that presented in the paper to judge whether the paper makes a contribution to the advancement of knowledge. When two reviewers are used it provides a broader perspective for evaluating the research. This perspective is further widened by the discussion between the editor and reviewers in seeking to reconcile these perspectives.

In contrast to these criteria, some journals that have attained a reputation for quality do not use either a blind review process or external reviewers. The most notable is Harvard Business Review that uses an editorial review process. Its reputation for quality results from its readership whose continual subscription attests to its quality.

In addition to these criteria, some researchers include the journal's acceptance rate in their definition of a refereed journal. However, the method of calculating acceptance rates varies among journals. Some journals use all manuscripts received as a base for computing this rate. Other journals allow the editor to choose which papers are sent to reviewers and calculate the acceptance rate on those that are reviewed. Also, many editors do not maintain accurate records on this data and provide only a rough estimate.

Furthermore, the number of people associated with a particular area of specialization influences the acceptance rate. If only a few people can write papers in an area, it tends to increase the journal's acceptance rate.

Although the type of review process and use of external reviewers is one possible definition of a refereed article, it is not the only criteria. Judging the usefulness of a journal to the advancement of knowledge requires the reader to be familiar with many journals in their specialization and make their own evaluations.
Show less

Show less

Help them discover your journal by joining our database of publication information. Since 1978, our Directories have served the academic community as a primary source for the placement of scholarly manuscripts.

By allowing us to include your publication in our database, you will:

• Promote your journal at no cost
• Increase your journal's exposure to an international audience
• Gain recognition and acceptance of your organization and/or association
• Reach potential new subscribers, customers, members, and authors
• Allow greater accessibility to your web site via direct links from our database
• Enhance your publication's reputation through exposure to accreditation agencies, promotion and tenure committees, and academic administrators who use our Directories to evaluate publication records of faculty members
• Consistently meet your goals of emphasizing the refereed peer review process
• Save your editors and potential authors valuable time by eliminating erroneous submissions that do not fit within the scope of your journal

No exclusivity agreement is required to be indexed in Cabell's Directories. This enables publishers to achieve maximum exposure for their publications. Additionally, there are not any fees associated with indexing in Cabell's Directories.
Show less

Cabell's Directories follow a rigorous evaluation process that includes periodic review of the current collection, extensive research on journals considered for inclusion, and application of the Cabell's Directories Selection Policy. When a journal is selected for inclusion in the database, Cabell's generally establishes a formal agreement with the journal's publisher to receive the journal's information in an electronic format for indexing purposes.

Cabell's welcomes suggestions from the field. To provide a suggestion, send an email to suggestions@cabells.com. Submit a journal title for consideration through our web site: http://www.cabells.com/recom.aspx
Show less

SELECTION STANDARDS AND CRITERIA
The following criteria are used to evaluate and qualify journals for inclusion in Cabell's Directories:

Audience
The audience for all publications indexed in Cabell's Directories includes academics, administrators, business persons, counselors, librarians, practicing teachers, and/or practitioners.

Language
To be considered for inclusion in Cabell's Directories, journals must be published in English or include a complete English translation.

Relevance
To be considered for inclusion in Cabell's Directories, journals must be directly related to the fields covered by the database. The database spans all aspects of accounting, economics and finance, management, marketing, educational curriculum and methods, education psychology and administration, educational technology and library science, psychology and psychiatry, computer science and business information systems, health administration, and nursing.

Sponsorship
Sponsorship by professional associations and organizations, and government agencies is considered, but not required, in the evaluation process. Preference for inclusion in Cabell's Directories is given to journals with such sponsorship. The following information is considered in the evaluation of institutions, associations, and organizations:

• History of the organization
• Membership of the organization, in size and credentials
• Structure, composition, and credentials of the governing body
• Organizational activities
• Publications and associated editorial policies

Quality
To be considered for inclusion in Cabell's Directories, journals are subject to the following criteria:

• Integrity: Articles published in the journal must be sufficiently protected from unauthorized modifications or falsifications.
• Objectivity: Articles published in the journal must be verified by a review process.
• Substantive Merit: Articles published in the journal must be professional and/or definitive.
• Utility/Importance: Articles published in the journal must be relevant to current priorities in its field and be of interest to the academic community.

Peer-Review
Journals considered for inclusion are also subject to review of their editorial and peer-review policies and processes. Specific considerations include:

• Publication history of the journal
• Fidelity to ethical guidelines
• Adherence to editorial conventions
• Scholarly affiliation of the journal's review-board members
• Opportunity for authors to receive comments made by reviewers
• Methods of article selection and/or invitation
• Anonymous peer-review employing at least two reviewers per article is preferred
• Selectivity, as indicated by acceptance rates for submitted articles

CABELL'S COMMENDABLE JOURNAL DESIGNATION
Cabell's Commendable Journal designation is determined primarily by two criteria: the publishing company responsible for producing the journal and/or the number of years that the journal has been in continuous publication. Journals published by a major academic publisher will automatically receive the designation of "Cabell's Commendable Journals." Likewise, journals that have been in continuous publication for at least five years will receive the designation. Journals that do not qualify under either of these criteria can appeal to our Review Board for further consideration. In these cases, our Review Board will weigh several aspects of the journal, such as: the editorial board members' academic affiliations and their publication records; any sponsors and/or affiliations of the journal. Upon examination of these elements, the members of our Review Board may bestow the designation of "Cabell's Commendable Journal" if they deem the journal to be of substantial quality.
Show less

The Cabell's Directories Review Board and/or Staff:

• Evaluates a journal, considering information in accordance with the Cabell's Directories Selection Policy.
• Signs an Agreement to Index Journals with the publisher.
• Receives or accesses an electronic file from the publisher or editor of each journal and updates the information for each journal at least once per year.

Show less

Show less