Selecting Journals #

When selecting a journal for Open Access publication, researchers should consider the following factors:

Reputation and Impact:

• Choose a journal that is well-respected in your field and has a solid peer-review process. Look for journals indexed in major databases like Scopus or Web of Science.
• Verify that the journal is not a predatory journal. Use resources such as DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) and Think. Check. Submit. to evaluate journal credibility.

Scope and Audience:

• Ensure that the journal’s scope aligns with your research focus and that it reaches your intended audience.
• Consider interdisciplinary journals if your research bridges multiple fields.

Open Access Policies:

• Confirm whether the journal offers Gold or Green Open Access options. For Green Open Access, check the length of the embargo period (if any).
• Ensure that the journal allows the deposit of preprints or accepted manuscripts in open-access repositories if opting for Green Open Access.
• Here are some links for the main Archaeology and Human Evolution journals Open Access Policies:
  • Journal of Archaeological Science
  • Journal of Human Evolution
  • Nature Ecology and Evolution
  • PNAS
  • Quaternary Science Reviews
  • Scientific Reports
  • Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
  • Anthropological and Archaeological Sciences
• The Journal Checker Tool is a useful resource for quickly checking whether a journal complies with funder mandates, including those set by FCT, the ERC, and Plan S. By entering a journal name and funder details, researchers can determine:
  • Whether the journal offers a compliant Open Access publishing option.
  • If the journal allows for deposit in an open-access repository under Green Open Access.
  • Applicable embargo periods for self-archiving.

Licensing:

• Open Access journals typically use Creative Commons (CC) licenses. Make sure the license meets your needs for sharing and reusing content. CC-BY (attribution) is the most common license, allowing others to share and adapt the work as long as the original author is credited.
• Other licenses, such as CC-BY-NC (non-commercial), can be used if you want to restrict commercial use.
• FCT mandates that researchers retain sufficient rights over their published work to meet Open Access requirements. This means that authors must:
  • Avoid signing exclusive transfer of copyright to publishers unless a compliant Open Access route is available.
  • Ensure the accepted manuscript version can be immediately deposited in RCAAP repositories without publisher-imposed restrictions.
  • Prefer journals that explicitly support rights retention and allow repository deposits without embargo.
  • Use the Rights Retention Strategy (RRS) by including a pre-emptive rights statement in manuscript submissions:

This research was funded in whole or in part by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (FCT,  https://ror.org/00snfqn58) under Grant (Funder Grant number and/or Grant DOI). For the purpose of Open Access, the author has applied a CC-BY public copyright license to any Author‘s Accepted Manuscript (AAM) version arising from this submission.

Publication Speed:

• Some Open Access journals have shorter publication times due to streamlined processes. If rapid dissemination is important, factor in the journal’s average time from submission to publication.