How to name your journal

The title of an academic journal defines its identity, sets the tone, and communicates its unique place within the academic community. It reflects the journal’s scope, offering readers and authors a sense of what kind of work they can expect from its pages, while also helping to establish its reputation and credibility by highlighting the quality and focus of its content. As one of the first things a reader or researcher encounters when searching for relevant journals, the title serves as a first impression by instantly conveying the journal’s subject area and focus.

When searching for the right journal to publish in or to conduct their investigations, researchers rely on keywords, industry-specific terms, and location-based phrases. For this reason, a journal’s title plays a crucial role as it needs to be clear, descriptive, and have relevant terms that match what researchers are actively searching for. A well-crafted title boosts visibility on search engines and indexing databases and signals to your audience that your journal is what they are looking for. Indexing services also evaluate a journal’s title to determine its relevance and fit within specific subject categories, which can directly impact its visibility and inclusion in key academic platforms.