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Faculty Services: Publishing at JIBC

Selecting a Journal for Publication

When selecting a journal to submit your work to, keep in mind what factors are important to you and, if relevant, what is required by your funding agency. 

Some criteria to consider when choosing a journal (depending on your needs):

  • Scope. Does your topic match what the journal publishes?
  • Author Rights and Copyright. Do authors retain any rights to their work? Are copyright policies transparent? Will you be able to self-archive your work?
  • Editorial Quality. What has the journal published in the past few years? Are there misspellings, grammar and punctuation mistakes, and lack of clarity or cohesiveness in past publications?
  • Peer Review Process. Is the journal transparent about their review process? Is there information about the criteria for peer review, the selection of reviewers, the type of review, and ethical standards for review?
  • Ethics. Is there information about how plagiarism, conflicts of interest, research ethics (informed consent, etc.), confidentiality, data and image manipulation, and other issues are handled?
  • Impact Factor Status. What is the journal's impact score?
  • Journal Operations. Does the journal assign a DOI or ISSN? What is the publication schedule? Is publishing consistent or sporadic? How much do they advertise? Is information about their aim, scope, editorial board, author instructions, and contact information available and easy to find?

Publishing Models and Terms to Know

Journal publishers have many different publication models, and occasionally offer different model options to authors. Below are common terms used to describe publishing models.

  • Traditional Subscription or "Closed Access": A standard model of publishing that transfers all rights to the work from the author to the publisher. Authors may not publish elsewhere or archive their work in a repository.
  • Open Access: A publication model that makes research freely available to readers compared to the traditional subscription model where research is locked behind a paywall. OA models vary between journals so it is important to check the details of what is permitted by the author.
    • Diamond OA: Publishing in an open access journal that is free to readers and does not involve any APCs.
    • Gold OA: Publishing in an open access journal that is free to readers but involves the author or their institution paying an APC.
    • Green OA or "Self-Archiving": Publishing in an institutional repository (such as The Vault) from which readers can access the article for free. This is also a form of preservation. Institutions and funding agencies sometimes require self-archiving in a repository.
    • Retrospective OA: A process for making articles open access after they have been published with a traditional "closed access" journal, sometimes after an embargo period.
    • Creative Commons: An open publishing model that allows the author to retain some rights and forgo others.
  • Hybrid Journals: Traditional subscription journals that also offer OA publishing models, usually through APCs.
  • Embargo: A delay period between which an article is published and when it is allowed to be self-archived or removed from behind a paywall.  
  • Article Publishing Charges (APCs): Charges to the author (or their institution) to be paid to the journal before the article is published in an open access model. This fee is supposed to offset the cost of publication that would normally be covered by a traditional subscription or paywall fee. APCs often vary depending on the publishing model, the subject area, and the author's country of origin.

ISBN & ISSN

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It is used for the publication of books.

ISSN stands for International Standard Serial Number. It is used for the publication of journals and newsletters.

The ISBN/ISSN is a unique string of numbers associated with a publication. A new ISBN is needed any time a new publication, a revised edition, or a new edition is published. An ISSN is permanently associated with the title of a publication. A new ISSN is only needed when the title of a serial publication changes, even if it is a slight change.

Before requesting an ISBN, ensure all material contained in your publication that is not owned by JIBC has been cleared through the applicable copyright owner.

If your publication is to be distributed to non-JIBC students, it should not contain any third-party material that has not been cleared for copyright.

For information about clearing copyright see the Copyright Guide for Faculty or contact copyright@jibc.ca.

When you are ready to request an ISBN, contact library@jibc.ca with the following information:

  • Does this document contain third party materials?
  • Is this document the first (1st) edition?
  • Include a copy of the title page, copyright page, and table of contents.

The Library will contact the BC Legislative Library to obtain an ISBN or ISSN. The turnaround time to receive the ISBN/ISSN is approximately 1 week.

Once we receive the ISBN/ISSN we will forward the information to you.

A new ISBN is needed if there is a new version of a publication, with any changes.

If the changes are not considered significant enough to call the newer version a new edition, then it can be called a 'revised edition'. For instance, a second edition that contains minimal changes can be called a 'second edition revised' rather than a 'third edition'.

If however, a second edition contains major changes, it should be called a 'third edition'.

Regardless of the amount of change, once any changes are made, a new ISBN should be requested through the Library. These changes relate to the intellectual property of the publication, not spelling corrections or formatting changes.

Non-governmental agencies must go directly to the Canadian ISBN Agency of Library & Archives Canada to obtain an ISBN and a CIP. Telephone: 819.994.6872 or Fax: 819.997.7517. Email: isbn@nlc-bnc.ca

Please contact the Library if you have any questions.

BC Campus Research Fellows

The BCcampus Research Fellows Program provides B.C. post-secondary educators and students with funding for small-scale research on teaching and learning that focuses on student success. Fellowships have an 18-month term.

The areas of focus are:

  • Learning and Teaching Online
  • Open Educational Practices
  • Student Access and Accessibility
  • Indigenous Engagement

Writing Skills

Formating Copyright and Title Pages

The following sample title pages were developed following guidelines from the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association that is used as a guide in the preparation of manuscripts for journal publications, theses, dissertations, and student papers. 

  • The copyright page is used for copyright and publication information.
  • It's located on the verso (back) of the title page. 

We recommend ensuring your copyright notice allows for copying for non-commercial or educational purposes. One way of doing so is by applying a Creative Commons license to your work.  For assistance, contact the Library.

CIP (Cataloguing in Publication)

CIP

As of February 18, 2015 we are no longer able to request a CIP as we are considered a provincial publisher.