Publications in Q2 and Q3 journals occupy a special place in a scholar’s career. These quartiles are the ones most often referred to in the requirements of grant committees, taken into account during attestation, and used as the foundation of a publication portfolio. At the same time, many scholars underestimate the strategic importance of these journals, striving exclusively for Q1 or, conversely, limiting themselves to Q4 journals. In this article, we explain why a well-planned approach to Q2 and Q3 publications can determine the pace of career development.
Why should a scholar publish in Q2 and Q3 journals?
The career of any scholar or researcher is built around publication activity, where not only the number of articles matters, but also the standing of the journals in which they appear. Q2 and Q3 journals form the core body of publications that attract the attention of grant committees and dissertation councils.
The impact of Q2 and Q3 publications on career development
Articles published in these quartiles demonstrate that the research has undergone peer review and meets international standards. Their significance is especially evident in the context of:
- dissertation defence
- grant applications with publication-level requirements
- attestation for academic positions
- h-index growth
The advantages of publishing in Q2 and Q3 journals
Q1 journals are characterised by intense competition, and the peer-review process in them often takes between 6 and 12 months. Relying exclusively on Q1 journals can therefore lead to long pauses in publication activity.
Q4 journals offer fewer advantages in the assessment of academic performance, as articles published in them are cited less frequently.
In this respect, Q2 and Q3 journals represent a middle ground: articles in them are cited more often than those in Q4 journals, while avoiding the excessive competition typical of Q1.
In addition, peer review in Q2 and Q3 journals usually takes between 2 and 6 months on average, which makes it possible to plan publication activity without prolonged delays.
A strategy for selecting a journal for publication
Before submitting a manuscript, it is important to check the journal’s current quartile and confirm its present category, as a quartile may change from year to year. For example, a journal that belonged to Q2 a year ago may now fall into Q3 or even Q4.
To minimise risks, it is advisable to follow this sequence of steps:
- Check the journal’s current quartile through SCImago Journal Rank or the Master Journal List.
- Make sure that the journal is still indexed in Scopus or Web of Science.
- Study the journal’s subject coverage and compare it with the focus of your research.
- Review the average peer-review times and manuscript formatting requirements.
When distributing publications across quartiles, it is useful to take specific objectives into account:
- Q2 articles improve citation potential because of the authority of the journals and strengthen the author’s standing in subject rankings. This is especially important when applying for grants and academic competitions.
- Q3 publications make it possible to maintain a regular flow of articles without long gaps between them. This is particularly significant during attestation, where both the level of the journals and the consistency of publication activity over recent years are taken into account. In addition, since Q3 journals are, in many cases, open-access journals, they also contribute to more active citation of publications.
Thus, publications in Q2 and Q3 journals are an important instrument of career development. They are taken into account during attestation, grant competitions, and dissertation defence. At the same time, they carry greater weight than Q4 journals, while the peer-review process takes much less time than in Q1 journals.
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