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Jun 25, 2026

Where to Publish — Target-Journal Directory

The target-journal directory is a curated list of journals you can publish to. Each entry records what the journal mainly accepts (subject scope) and its submission rules (reference style, word limits, peer-review type, open access, indexing). The directory feeds the manuscript side of the Journal Builder, so a manuscript can be checked and formatted against a real target journal.

Open it from the research portal sidebar → Where to Publish (/research/target-journals).

The directory

Each journal lists its title, publisher, ISSN, subject scope, article types, accreditation/indexing (DHET, Scopus, Web of Science, DOAJ, Sabinet, …), reference style, word and abstract limits, peer-review type, open-access status and APC, turnaround, and homepage/submission links.

  • Search/filter by title, scope, publisher, indexing or market.
  • Add Journal to create an entry; Edit/Delete to maintain it.

Seeding DHET-accredited journals

Use Seed DHET starter to load a curated starter set of DHET-accredited South African journals (with an emphasis on GLAM / LIS / archives / heritage plus multidisciplinary titles). The seed is idempotent — re-running refreshes the set without creating duplicates. You can also run it from the CLI:

php artisan ahg:seed-target-journals

The DHET list is the South-African accreditation module: the directory core is jurisdiction-neutral, so other markets seed from DOAJ, Scopus, Web of Science or ERIH-PLUS instead. The starter seed captures each journal's scope, publisher, indexing and reference style; ISSNs and exact numeric limits should be completed/verified per journal via Edit.

How it powers the manuscript builder

In the Journal Builder, a manuscript can point at a target journal from this directory. The manuscript's submission checks then use the target's rules:

  • the reference style must match the journal's,
  • the manuscript must stay within the journal's word limit (when set),
  • plus the standard completeness checks (title, abstract, authors, body).

The directory also supports best-fit suggestions — matching a manuscript's subject/abstract against journal scope to recommend where to submit.

Tips

  • Fill in max_words and reference_style on the journals you target so the manuscript checks are meaningful.
  • Keep accreditation accurate — it is how researchers find DHET/Scopus/WoS-listed venues.
  • Journal Builder (#1105) — manuscripts target journals from this directory.
  • This directory is issue #1107 (PSIS twin: atom-ahg-plugins#114).