Survey Reveals Need for Guidance on Trustworthy Places to Publish Research

A recent survey shows that the mission of the Think. Check. Submit initiative – to help researchers identify trusted journals for their research – is highly appreciated.

Fifty-six percent of the survey’s 410 respondents said the Think. Check. Submit service was ‘essential’ or ‘very useful’, and more than 75% said they would definitely recommend Think. Check. Submit. to a colleague.

Preliminary analysis of the survey also pointed, however, to a need for further educational resources and wider reach for the initiative:

• The decision on where to publish is complex and dubious publications can take advantage of that. The top reason given by respondents for selecting a journal to publish in was relevance to their field, followed by inclusion in indexes/impact factor. Belief that the journal was trustworthy came third and was the top choice for just over 20% of respondents.
• There is still work to be done in building awareness of how Think. Check. Submit. can help researchers address this challenge: 34% of respondents had not heard of the initiative before completing the survey.
• The responses to the survey revealed a sense of community ownership: in particular the willingness of many survey respondents to provide more detailed insight and help with development of the initiative, for example by providing translations.

Launched in 2015, Think. Check. Submit. helps researchers identify trusted journals for their research. Through a range of tools and practical resources, this international, cross-sector initiative aims to educate researchers, promote integrity, and build trust in credible research and publications. Central to the initiative is a checklist based on best practices in scholarly communication. The widely used checklist is available in nearly 40 languages from Albanian to Vietnamese.

Building on the survey findings, in conjunction with the wider Think. Check. Submit. community, the committee will focus on extending the reach of the initiative and further developing educational resources to assist researchers and librarians worldwide.

LIBER is a founding member of Think.Check.Submit. and serves on the committee.