Impact factors of journals

[Adelaide9216]

Hello everyone,

so I have been googling about impact factors for journals, and I am beyond confused. I don't know exactly how to read those. I don't know what is considered a good impact factor in my field (social work, social sciences, women's studies). Plus, I am trying to publish my first publication as a sole author in French, and I am really struggling to find impact factors for francophone journals. I want to be strategic and aim high at first, and then if my article gets rejected, submit to a journal with a lower impact factor...I don't know if it is a good strategy.

Anyone here can help me and offer me some guidance? 

[PokePsych]

Although impact factors are related - you may want to ask around (specifically our advisor) about the prestige of various journals. I usually decide togethre with my advisor(s) which journal to head for. 

[Marginally Significant]

21 hours ago, Psygeek said:

Although impact factors are related - you may want to ask around (specifically our advisor) about the prestige of various journals. I usually decide togethre with my advisor(s) which journal to head for. 

Agreed, and to elaborate further, even subdisciplines within a field have varying views of what is a high impact factor. To use psychology as an example, journals focusing on cultural issues tend to have smaller impact factors compared to broader subfields such as social psychology. Then, you have subfields that can publish in other fields such as biomedical journals or education journals because of overlap, and those outside fields have their own standards for "good" impact factors (Although that can be a good thing if said outside field typically has higher impact factors compared to your field). It's pretty frustrating to not have a nice clear-cut number for a "good" impact factor, but mentors/advisors/faculty closer to your area can generally give you an idea of which journals to submit for publication based on not only impact factor, but other things to consider as well (e.g., the review process, likelihood of getting the manuscript accepted, what reviewers tend to look for in the journal, how long it may take before the journal decides to publish/reject your manuscript, etc). I would say make sure that whoever you're talking to for advice is also aware of your goals for publication (e.g., Are you publishing because you want to get into a PhD program and would like a publication under your belt before you submit your application?) because your goals can also shape which journals you should apply for because sometimes the journal with the higher impact factor may impede on your goal(s) in one way or another (e.g., the likelihood of getting the manuscript published before PhD applications are due is slim, thus applying to the journal may not be a good idea even though it has a greater impact factor).