Clarify your publishing goals and requirements before choosing a journal, conference, outlet, or book publisher.
Why plan early?
A publishing plan can help you avoid delays, unexpected costs, missed open access opportunities and submission problems. It also provides a consistent basis for comparing publishing options.
What to consider
Identify the type of research output you are preparing, its purpose, your intended audience, and your publishing timeframe. Confirm each author’s role, order, affiliation and ORCID iD.
Identify any potential publication costs and check whether third-party content requires permission. Plan how related datasets, code, supplementary files or other outputs will be shared and cited.
Check whether your funder has requirements that affect how or where you publish, including open access requirements. For example, researchers funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) should check the ARC open access policy.
Higher Degree Research candidates
Consider any Higher Degree Research candidature timing, funding conditions, ethics approvals, research data obligations, and institutional requirements, including the Western Sydney University Open Access to Research Policy.
Plan early if you may be eligible to publish through a Read & Publish agreement. Eligibility can depend on your current Western Sydney University affiliation, author role, article type and publisher requirements. Use your Western Sydney University student email address while it remains active and seek advice before submission if conferral timing may affect eligibility.
Use the Planning Worksheet
Complete the planning worksheet in the Develop a Publishing Plan guide to record your audience, responsibilities, data, rights, costs, open access and repository considerations.
Next step