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Recommendation on scientific publishing at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

At Linköping University, we strive to produce significant, high-quality research. This recommendation aims to serve as a common advisory document for the Medical faculty's researchers.

1. Appropriate journal. 2. Scientific quality. 3. Broad impact.

Why is there a need for a recommendation?

The goal is to promote publishing in high-quality journals and increase citation frequency, which in turn strengthens the researcher's CV, the faculty's academic reputation, and financial conditions. Publishing high-quality research that has a significant impact will continue to be of utmost importance, even with the ambitions for an increased focus on quality in research evaluations highlighted by CoARA – The Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment.

Who do the recommendation apply to?

The recommendation is advisory for researchers as well as for department and faculty management. It provides recommendations on how researchers can identify and choose the most suitable and prominent publishing channels within their respective fields. Since the ability to publish in prominent journals is closely linked to scientific quality, we also include recommendations that can contribute to increased research quality to ensure that our research reaches its full potential. Although not all advice will be applicable in all situations, the overall direction points towards increased research quality and thereby impact.

We hope that this recommendation will not only provide practical guidance but also inspire discussions and further elevate the quality of the research we conduct. Let us strive for excellence together and contribute to create a stronger, more influential research environment at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

1. Choice of journal

Medical scientific communication often occurs through the publication of research results in the form of journal articles. When choosing where to publish an article, there are several factors to consider, and below are some recommendations to keep in mind.

Choose a journal with impact and quality

The ranking of a journal does not necessarily reflect the quality of individual articles. However, it is a measure used in much of medical science to rank journals and can be a support in your choice of journal. To check if the journal is highly ranked, you can look at:

“The Norwegian List”

Is the journal ranked as level 2 in the Norwegian database “Kanalregisteret?”

Kanalregisteret

Journal Citation Reports

Here you can find several metrics to look at. Does the journal's Journal Impact Factor (JIF) belong to the top quartile Q1 in its subject area? Does the journal have a high Journal Citation Indicator (JCI)? What is the journal's "Article citation median" (this measure is harder to manipulate by the journal)?

Journal Citation Reports

Scopus Sources

Here you can find several metrics that rank journals. The SNIP value is an indicator that shows the journal's impact, where an average journal has a SNIP value of 1.

Scopus Sources

Start from the top!

It is important to choose a journal with great care; we should increase the level of ambition when choosing a journal. Choose the journal where you get the most impact for your research results. This can lead to more rejections, but often valuable comments are received at the same time, making it possible to improve the article. It thus has greater opportunities to be published in another good journal. Starting from the top can take more time, but the process leads to better publications and more citations.

Is the journal reputable?

Always check that the journal is reputable to avoid publishing in disreputable journals (sometimes called predatory journals). These actors often charge publication fees but lack peer review and editorial work. You should check the quality of journals from publishers MDPI and Frontiers extra carefully.

To help you, you can use:

  • LiU journal check up allows you to search for individual journals to get a summary of their indexing and ranking.
  • Is the journal included in the Norwegian list as a level 1 or level 2 journal?
  • Is the journal indexed in any of Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, or Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)? If the journal is included in MedLine, it has a clearer connection to medical publishing, and your publication will also be found in PubMed searches.
More tips from the university library: Publish strategically

Use the university library's services

The library's webpage Publish strategically provides guidance and links to valuable resources for choosing a suitable journal.

LiU journal inspiration is an online service that suggests journals where your manuscript could fit. No information about individual manuscripts is saved. The service provides inspiration for journals that have historically published similar research, but always check that the journal's subject area matches the content of your publication.

Publish with open access

A scientific article that is openly accessible (open access) will reach more readers. More and more research funders require that research results they have funded be published open access, often immediately upon publication. Choose the creative commons license CC BY to further increase dissemination and meet funders' requirements.

Publishing agreements for open access publication

The library has agreements with many publishers, which allows for low-cost open access publication even in regular subscription-based journals. Note that this is not a service for quality assessment of journals, but only shows if there is a publication agreement for a journal or not.

The library's publishing agreements

Use the correct publication address

To ensure that articles are linked to you, your institution, and clinic, it is important to provide the correct affiliation/publication address when publishing according to the instructions on this page, which also includes a list of English publication addresses:

Addresses to be used in publications

2. High scientific quality

High scientific quality is a prerequisite for publishing in reputable journals and for articles to have a significant impact. There are many important building blocks that contribute to high quality, and these can vary somewhat between different research fields and research traditions.

Good research practice is, of course, central to research at Linköping University. In addition to considering the points below, we encourage researchers to familiarize themselves with and follow ALLEA and the formal and informal codes that are central to their own research area.

ALLEA: The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity

Plan for a high-quality study from the beginning

High scientific quality requires planning. This includes everything from choosing a research question that is innovative and significant, to using the best available methodology and ensuring a sufficiently large data base. It is also important to document the study and publication requirements from the beginning, such as registering clinical trials. Good literature knowledge is a prerequisite for identifying the forefront of the research field. When possible, strive to deepen the research beyond reporting correlations to identify the underlying cause.

Medical relevance

At the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, we conduct research across the entire medical field, from molecules to entire populations. It is important that the research is based on a broad medical perspective, with the ambition to improve health and reduce suffering, to obtain funding from both governmental and private funders, and to perform well in future evaluations within the medical field.

Innovation is important

Significant publications contribute new insights, theories, or results. Innovation can lie in exploring new questions, developing new methods, applying existing methods in new ways, or questioning previous results. Without innovation, research stagnates, and quality declines.

Investigate the questions thoroughly

We should strive for synthesis, i.e., to include all relevant material for the question and to illuminate the scientific question in several different ways in each publication. Avoid splitting the results into smaller parts that are published separately. Although this can be a way to achieve many publications, it has a negative effect on the quality of individual publications and the possibility of publishing in highly ranked journals.

Use the best available method

It is of utmost importance that our studies, whether quantitative, qualitative, or systematic reviews, strive to deepen understanding. Our studies should be characterized by in-depth analyses and rich data that enable a nuanced understanding of complex phenomena. Systematic reviews should be conducted as a careful and comprehensive compilation of literature to present a comprehensive perspective on current research findings. Regardless of study type, the choice of the best possible scientific method is central to ensuring credibility and reliability.

Ensure sufficient data

What is sufficient can vary due to different factors, such as research method, statistical power, etc. Studies with larger data bases are often more robust, reducing the risk of random findings and making them easier to publish in highly ranked journals. We should more often take advantage of recruiting patients from the entire southeastern healthcare region, and preferably turn to the rest of the country and the world to collaborate with others for better data bases.

Collaborations and networks

Interdisciplinary collaborations and collaborations between clinical and preclinical research can lead to innovative and groundbreaking results and are a way to increase the breadth and impact of research. Build and maintain international networks to increase opportunities for collaborative publishing and increase citation frequency. National and international collaborations enhance the visibility and impact of research and have a positive effect on citation rates.

Take on an active role

Although collaborations are good and important, it is also important to sometimes take the lead in projects. This is often shown in medical literature by being the first or last author. A long series of high-quality articles is usually not enough to obtain research grants in national competition for researchers who are in the middle of the author lists.

Strive to reduce the number of uncited publications

The single action that would have the greatest effect on our citation statistics is to reduce the number of uncited publications. We all need to think about not contributing to an increase in uncited publications. Most experienced researchers have a good idea of the factors that lead to a study not being cited. This does not necessarily mean that research results should end up in the drawer. Often it is instead possible to either supplement limited material or publish it together with other findings to create a higher quality article. At the same time, we should not avoid publishing negative findings.

3. After publishing

Tell your colleagues about your research

Doing good research is not always enough to make an impact. LiU researchers may need to be more active in ensuring that people within and outside their own field are reached by our publications. Take advantage of opportunities to tell others about your research in various contexts.

Market your research

Use social media and institutional press releases to spread your research. Active research communication increases visibility and citation opportunities. Create profiles on platforms like Google Scholar, ORCID, and ResearchGate and spread your research results.

More information on LiU Publication Visibility

Parallell publish your research on LiU E-press

Many publishers allow parallel publishing on Linköping University Electronic Press, which can help increase accessibility and visibility.

LiU Electronic Press

Research environment and mentorship

Share experiences and knowledge about publishing within research groups, departments, strength areas, institutions, and the faculty to strengthen collective competence. A strong research culture promotes quality and collaboration.

More tips on publishing

A figure leaning against a question mark.

Publish strategically

A researcher has a lot to gain from a strategic approach when choosing a journal to publish in. Depending on what you want to achieve with your publication, there are different aspects to consider.

Research and doctoral studies

Four researchers in the control room of a photon-counting CT scanner.

Research at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Our research spans the entire medical field, from basic experimental research to patient-oriented research, health sciences and public health. We focus on cooperation across professions and faculty borders, a combination that has proved successful.
Close-up of cells.

Doctoral studies at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences educates researchers across the entire medical field, ranging from basic experimental research to patient-oriented research, health sciences and public health.