Ask most teams how they chose a journal and the answer is "the highest impact factor we thought we could get into." That single heuristic causes more wasted months than almost any other decision in publishing.
Impact factor is a journal-level average
It tells you almost nothing about whether your specific paper will be accepted. Two journals with similar impact factors can have wildly different acceptance rates, scope and review timelines.
The metrics that actually matter
Acceptance rate, scope alignment with your study type, typical time-to-decision, APC (and whether your budget covers it), and desk-rejection risk for papers like yours. These are the inputs to a real journal-fit decision.
Make it data-driven
Our Scientific Writing Tool produces AI-verified journal shortlists with acceptance rates, APC data and desk-rejection risk scoring, so journal selection becomes a defensible, evidence-based decision instead of a guess.
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