In academic and professional publishing, it's important to publish research in reputable journals.

At the very least, it's important to publish in journals with legitimate peer-review processes and that uphold rigorous guidelines for manuscript acceptance and publication.

The number of journals not meeting professional standards has risen apace with the ease of producing online-only publications.

Unfortunately, that increase in the number of journals means that many journals are not up to par.

In March 2023, Web of Science, owned by Clarivate, made the decision to delist more than 80 journals (20 of them publicly named so far) that showed evidence of predatory or unprofessional publication practices.

These journals will no longer be listed on Web of Science, which is one of the larger indexes of academic and professional journals.

Citations from these delisted journals will no longer be counted, which has a negative impact on authors' metrics.

The most unfortunate thing about such journals is that many times, authors of really high-quality research are negatively impacted.

The journal publishers are the bad actors, not the authors doing the hard work of producing research.

This is not the first time journals have been delisted from indexes for exhibiting questionable or downright predatory practices. It won't be the last.

Protect yourself as an author by targeting journals that you know are legitimate. Here are some tips for avoiding predatory or questionable journals.

You can read the complete report from Retraction Watch by clicking the link below:

Whether you are a seasoned research scientist, a doctoral student, or a healthcare practitioner trying their hand at writing up research for peer-reviewed publication, the one thing you want to do above all else is this:

Especially when you are just starting your publishing journey, identifying legitimate, rather than predatory journals, can be a challenge.

That's why we pulled together our top 5 tips for how to identify predatory journals so you can avoid them.

With those tips, go forth and publish!

We're here if you need assistance.

If you answered "Yes" to those questions, it's your lucky day!

We're offering 2 FREE months of our manuscript-writing program, Six Steps to a Publication-Ready Journal Manuscript, for all members who purchase access between now and December 31, 2022.

During this special holiday sale, you'll get access to the crucial instructional videos and writing tools in this program for a full 16 weeks--that's 8 more weeks than we offer in a standard membership!

It's #GivingTuesday, and we think that's exactly the right date to register for our special fundraiser webinar benefiting DNPs of Color!

DNPs of Color is an amazing 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to increasing diversity in doctoral studies, clinical practice, and leadership in nursing.

We fully support their mission and vision.

And to show that support, we designed this fun and informative webinar, How to Write Abstracts that POP!, which you can attend when you make a donation to DNPs of Color.

Just click the image below, complete your registration, and make your donation on the link we provide you in your confirmation email.

It's that easy to help make a positive difference this holiday season.

To learn more about DNPs of Color, click here. You'll be redirected to the organization's website.

Last month, we presented the free webinar Understanding Authorship Rules in Scholarly Publishing.

Due to some technical glitches at the start, the video capture had to be edited before we could distribute the finished recording to everyone who took the time to register and attend.

Here, at last, is the finished webinar.

The webinar is designed for anyone and everyone who hopes to publish in peer-reviewed journals, especially in healthcare.

Check our Webinars page to see what's up next. Or follow our LinkedIn page to get notice of upcoming events.

Feel free to share the post with your friends and colleagues.

Publication Matters, LLC, is excited to announce our involvement with the first-of-its-kind mentorship program for doctors of nursing practice (DNPs) who wish to write a manuscript for publication!

This unique opportunity, called the Pathway to Publication Mentorship Program, represents an exciting collaboration between DNPs of Color and Jonas Philanthropies.

It is a natural extension of the Pathway to Publication learning series we teamed up with DNPs of Color to present in Autumn 2021. (You can see one of the learning series videos here: How to Read Author Guidelines.)

We were invited to develop the writing curriculum for the mentorship program, whose content is based on our Six Steps to a Publication-Ready Journal Manuscript, available at mydnpmanuscript.com.

Applications close July 30, 2022, the mentor-mentee matches will be made in August, and the mentorship program starts in September.

To learn more about it, you can see the original press release by clicking the image below. We hope it is the first of many such programs!

This spring, we're piloting a new workshop series called The Fundamentals of Good Writing.

Designed for all healthcare professionals who desire a better understanding of the ground rules of good writing, this course is first being piloted with a group with whom we work extensively: doctor of nursing practice (DNP) students and faculty.

The content of the workshop series includes:

Did you know that customized writing workshops are a specialty of Publication Matters, LLC?

When healthcare organizations seek writing instruction for their practitioners and researchers, they are not always sure what those employees need.

• Is it a better skill set?
• Is it more confidence and practice?
• Is it a bit of both?

This April, we presented our customizable workshop Essential Skills for Better Writing to a group of doctor of nursing (DNP) students and faculty.

As with all of our customized instructional services, the workshop was designed to meet the needs of the audience. We could do that because we begin each contract with an extensive needs assessment.

In just one week, editor Sharese T. Willis, PhD, and Publication Matters's founder Sara D. Hauber, MA, are presenting their collaborative workshop "From 80 Pages to 12: An Introduction to Writing a Journal Manuscript about Your DNP Project" at the first annual DNPs of Color virtual conference!

This special workshop, overflowing with knowledge gained from both Willis and Hauber's long histories editing DNPs' and other healthcare professionals' manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

The buzz around this event is really building. We'll see you there, October 23, 2021!

Since mid-2021, Publication Matters, LLC, has partnered with one of our favorite change-making organizations: DNPs of Color.

We have collaboratively designed a learning series entitled "Pathway to Publication," with which we intend to provide golden nuggets of information for every would-be author looking to publish their manuscript in a peer-reviewed journal.

The first step in that process is to read the selected journal's author guidelines.

In this webinar, Publication Matters's founder explains how to do it and how to avoid the common issues novice authors encounter.