Strategy in Selecting
the Appropriate
International Journals
Mien A. Rifai
Indonesian Academy of Sciences
c.o. “Herbarium Bogoriense” Puslit Nasional Biologi – LIPI, Jalan Juanda 22, Bogor
A survey published by Scientific American
indicated that in 1994 the contribution of Indonesian scientists and scholars to the body of world knowledge, science, and technology annually represents only
Some observers stated that the efforts of Indonesian scientists and scholars to participate in advancing science and
technology represented lost science in the third world. They acknowledged the
voluminous work being done but
unfortunately the results never reached their peers simply because they were being
published in numerous periodicals that
A closer examination at the situation
does indeed reveal that in general
Indonesian scientific journals are
published in a very limited numbers (many only 300
copies per edition)
circulated only locally (and often privately)
not subscribed by major libraries (not even in
Indonesia!)
written in Indonesian (only recently being provided with
English abstracts)
not being used by university lecturers as source of
teaching material
It follows that even the titles of scientific
articles written by Indonesian scientists and scholars do not appear in rapid
bibliographic services, and their keywords have not been scanned and picked up by information service providers, so that they are not available to be accessed through
On the other hand, it is imperative that
Indonesian scientists and scholars should made the results of their scientific activity available to their fellow scientists all over the world by publishing them in readily accessible journal internationally, among other things in order to improve the
competitive ability of Indonesian products in the world market which in turn will improve the welfare of Indonesian people as a
Correlation between Country Productivity and Number of Publication and Citation (1997–2001)
Country Number of Number of GDP per capita Publication Citation
India
77.201
118.481
487
Cina
115.339
341.519
989
Therefore if one feels that the results of
the self assessment and evaluation
reveal the merit of the research
findings for international consumption,
it is a duty to publish them as soon as
possible. It should be considered a
criminal act not to do so, especially if
public funds have been spent in
For this purpose an effort should be made to identify the most suitable journal to publish it, a periodical with the highest qualification that can be reached. In making the choise once again it is necessary to be very certain about the uniqueness of the content of the article to be contributed, especially in
One can begin by identifying and classifying the content of the articles from the narrowest field of
specialization in order to ascertain that it is suitable to the type of audience to be addressed:
the super-super spesialists
the super specialist scientists
the specialists
Do not be too dishearten if the identification reaches the lowest mark, because it is possible that the data and information revealed by the research or study isof
interdiscipilnary
cross sectoral
or transdisciplinary
in nature. If it is inter- or transdiciplinary,
then decide which sector has the
Bear in mind that modern disciplines
such as ecology, ethnobotany,
biotechnology, or subjects related to
gender use transdisiplinary
approaches without diminishing their
superspecialization demanded by
As an active researcher in any particular
field of specialization, one should be
fully aware on the identity of
prominent experts in the field
concerned, and know also which
journal(s) are frequented by them, as
well as the niche or ranking of the
Among the many identified
journals, choose the one which:
receives the highest acclaim (accredited with high
citation index)
has the strongest impact in advancing the field of
disciplin concerned
has the widest audience (written in UN languanges) has global aspiration in geographical scope
contains only articles based on research results (rather
than review articles)
is often refered to
is rapid in processing articles for publication (short
waiting list)
is issued with high frequency (monthly or bimonthly
It should be noted that not all journals
using English (or other UN languages)
are of high or international standard.
They are foreign periodicals but not
necesaarily of high standing because
their interests are often of a local
To be considered having an
tnternational merit, a journal should
accomodate articles written in one of the UN
languages.
contain high quality original articles which contribute
significantly to the advancement of the disciplin being much sought after by specialists all the world over
be managed openly by a team of editors from all over
the world, and the mechanisms of blind review by the peer group system is used in screening, selecting, and evaluating articles to be accepted for inclusioan
has contributors that come from notable institutes in
many countries having experts specializing in disciplin covered
has a global circulation because it is subscribed by
Specialized journals are
published by
scientific profesional associations of
international renown (such as the British Mycological Society, the American
Chemical Society)
major publishing houses (like Elsevier
Group, Cambridge University Press, Springer Verlag)
resarch institutions (such as Boyce
It pays to join and become a member of
a scientific profesional association
because it will enable one to
receive regularly free scientific journal
published by the society
submit article to be published in the society
journal, often free of charge
establish networking and cooperative
research venture with fellow members
keep up with the news about new
Some important websites to brows for
finding suitable major international
journals:
Cambridge Univ. Press (UK):
www.journals.cambridge.org
International Institute for Asian Studies: www.iias.nl Ingenta Environment (contains some 4500 journals): www.ingentaconnect.com
Elsevier: www.sciencedirect.com Springer: www.springer.com
After a journal has been chosen
study two or three latest issues or editions
peruse carefully its instructions to contributing authors
(which may up to 64 pages long)
find out if the journal also issues further instructions in
its website
ensure that the instructions and all requirements are
fully understood to their minutest details
read carefully four or five sample articles (preferably
When the style and format of the journal have been completely understood and mastered, then one may start preparing the draft
article to be submitted. In doing so, ensure that every items (title, byline, abstract,
punctuations, list of references etc.) are
It cannot be overemphasized thar in preparing the manuscript to be submitted, it is
compulsary to follow the instruction to the authors very closely if one really wishes that the article be accepted by the journal. Small deviations may make the computer
After completing and revising the first draft, it is not a bad idea ti hand it over––together with a copy of the instruction to authors––to one or two close associates to read and
comment on it. Based on criticisms and suggestions received, revise the draft
After sending the draft to the appropriate
address, take a rest, and wait patienly
for the answer and respond from the
editor(s) . . . and pray.
Indonesian editors often complain on
the habit of Indonesian authors who
generally are very slow or event
reluctant to respond if asked to revise
their draft as suggested by their
Two small popular handbooks
written in Indonesian are available
Mikrajudin Abdullah. 2004. Menembus Jurnal Ilmiah Nasional Internasional: Petunjuk
Ringkas dari Penulisan Paper hingga
Koreksi Proof. Jakarta: Gramedia Pustaka Utama. ix + 112 pp.
Zifirdaus Adnan & Indrawati Zifirdaus 2005.
Merebut Hati Audiens Internasional:
