In short: Our journal selection service gives you a shortlist of 3 journals for your manuscript. For each one we check scope fit, confirm indexing on the day in Scopus Sources or the Clarivate Master Journal List, note the open access model and any article processing charge (APC) the publisher states, and screen for predatory and hijacked-journal red flags. The shortlist is advice: you choose and you submit. Journals make every editorial decision, so no one can promise acceptance.
By On Time Publication Editorial Team ยท Last updated 28 October 2026
For each of the 3 journals, your written shortlist covers:
We order the three as an ambitious first choice, a realistic second and a dependable third, so you already have a plan if the first journal says no.
We rely only on what the official databases show on the day we check.
Indexing can change, so check your chosen journal again just before you submit. See our guides on how to check Scopus and Web of Science indexing and SCI, SCIE, ESCI and Scopus.
An indexed, legitimate journal can still be the wrong home: a paper outside its scope can be declined without peer review. We check:
If nothing fits your rules, we say so rather than pad the list.
Metrics describe a journal's past citations, change between releases and do not predict how your own paper will be cited. See our guides to impact factor and quartiles and Scopus publication fees.
COPE says common features of predatory publishing include hidden or unclear author fees, a lack of quality peer review by experts in the field, and promises of acceptance or of very fast publication. It also lists deceptive metrics, unclear editorial processes, aggressive solicitation and unsubstantiated indexing claims. Using these signs and the Think. Check. Submit. checklist, we look for:
Think. Check. Submit. advises submitting only if you can answer yes to most or all of its questions. A journal that fails our screening does not go on your shortlist. Our guide to predatory journals explains the warning signs in more detail.
This page covers journal selection on its own. If you also want help with the cover letter and declarations, formatting to the journal's guidelines and the submission system, see our journal submission support service. It offers guided submission, or authorised submission on your behalf with the corresponding author's explicit authorisation. For language work first, see manuscript editing and proofreading.
We never draft your paper or any of its content, add data or results, contact editors to influence a decision, send your paper to several journals at once, or promise acceptance, a review time or a metric.
We are an online service based in the UK, run by a UK registered company, working with researchers in the USA, the UK, Australia, Saudi Arabia, the wider GCC and Jordan across most academic disciplines. We have no published address and no office, university or ministry affiliation in the Gulf or Jordan. We reply quickly, cover Gulf and Jordan business hours, accept Word, LaTeX or PDF, and offer Arabic support. Files are handled confidentially (see our privacy policy), with an NDA on request. Our editors are qualified researchers and subject-specialist editors with publishing experience. See also our pages for Saudi Arabia and the GCC and Jordan, and how pricing works.
A journal selection service recommends suitable journals for a specific manuscript. Ours gives you a shortlist of 3 journals, each checked for scope fit, Scopus or Web of Science indexing, fees and predatory warning signs. You decide where to submit.
We search the journal's title and ISSN in Scopus Sources or the Clarivate Master Journal List, depending on the index you need, check its coverage status, and match the ISSN, publisher and website with the database record. We record the date of each check, because indexing can change.
Journal Impact Factors are published by Clarivate in Journal Citation Reports, and CiteScore by Elsevier in Scopus. Both are journal-level metrics of past citations and do not predict how your own paper will be cited. If your institution requires a metric or quartile, tell us and we will build the shortlist around that rule.
Yes. For each journal we note whether it is subscription, open access or hybrid, and the article processing charge the publisher states, if any. APCs are set by the publisher and paid directly to the publisher, separately from our fee.
Not as part of this service. The shortlist is advice: you choose and you submit. If you want help with the submission itself, our journal submission support service offers guided submission or, with the corresponding author's explicit authorisation, submission on your behalf.
No. Editors and peer reviewers decide. A careful shortlist reduces the risk of a scope mismatch or a predatory journal, but no service can promise acceptance.
We do not publish fixed prices. You get a custom quote based on word count, field and deadline after a free assessment, with the turnaround agreed in the quote. Pay by Stripe, PayPal or bank transfer in USD, GBP, SAR, AED, JOD and other currencies; itemised invoices on request.
Official database, publisher and publication-ethics pages, checked on 28 October 2026. Indexing and metrics change, so always check the official record yourself before you submit.
Our free step-by-step guide if you want to build your own shortlist.
Read the guide โHow to verify a journal in the official lists before you submit.
Read the guide โCover letter, submission package and guided or authorised submission.
Read more โSend your title and abstract or the full manuscript, with the index or quartile you need, your deadline and your APC budget. We will reply with an honest assessment and a written quote.
Pricing: custom quote based on word count, field and deadline. See how pricing works or contact us.
WhatsApp: +44 7916 693071
Email: info@ontimepublication.com
Tell us about your research and publication requirements. Our team will review your request and contact you to discuss the next steps.