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[origamigal]

I've got an article ready to send out. It explicitly acts as a bridge between two (allied) fields in which there is tension over a particular issue. My article offers a way to reconcile this tension. One (broader) field has its own major journal to which I could send this, and I have already published something with them; the other (more narrow) field has two journals that I could send it to (and I haven't published in either).

What to do?

I'm leaning toward the one of the two journals in "more narrow field," so that I can get my name/ideas circulating there. On the other hand, the journal of "broader field" is a little more prestigious.

Ideally, the article could appear in both at the same time, given my argument. Impossible?

[watermarkup]

Ideally, the article could appear in both at the same time, given my argument. Impossible?

Certainly possible. You just need to write two articles. Pick Case A for an article for field X, and Case B for field Y, and write about them.

But publishing one article in two different journals is usually not a good thing.

[origamigal]

Ideally, the article could appear in both at the same time, given my argument. Impossible?

Certainly possible. You just need to write two articles. Pick Case A for an article for field X, and Case B for field Y, and write about them.

But publishing one article in two different journals is usually not a good thing.

Thanks for the response, watermarkup. I didn't mean to imply that I would try to publish the article in two venues without being very clear about that with both journals.

But I hadn't thought about doing two pieces, since the article involves an analysis of a single novel (I'm in English). I could imagine re-writing to address two different audiences. There would be some overlap, though, between the two essays, but perhaps I could address that in the introduction(s)?

[seniorscholar]

What do you know about the (1) response time and (2) the % of articles accepted by the journals you're considering? The odds of having two articles published in different journals in English -- if these are reputable journals -- within the next three years (to say nothing of "at about the same time") are relatively slim, especially if you're considering significant rewriting to produce a second article. If you're a grad student or non-tenured faculty member, go for the best journal with the article you've got now, and worry about the other aspects of the issue later.

[mleok]

Thanks for the response, watermarkup. I didn't mean to imply that I would try to publish the article in two venues without being very clear about that with both journals.

But I hadn't thought about doing two pieces, since the article involves an analysis of a single novel (I'm in English). I could imagine re-writing to address two different audiences. There would be some overlap, though, between the two essays, but perhaps I could address that in the introduction(s)?

No, most journals will not accept a submission which is already under consideration at another journal, and simply being "very clear" about this does not address the problem.

Given that there are two different audiences, it most certainly sounds like you would need to write the paper differently for the two journals, but it is probably acceptable to have some overlap between the two papers.

[origamigal]

What do you know about the (1) response time and (2) the % of articles accepted by the journals you're considering? The odds of having two articles published in different journals in English -- if these are reputable journals -- within the next three years (to say nothing of "at about the same time") are relatively slim, especially if you're considering significant rewriting to produce a second article. If you're a grad student or non-tenured faculty member, go for the best journal with the article you've got now, and worry about the other aspects of the issue later.

Good points, seniorscholar. Aiming for the best journal makes sense and would be easiest, but I guess I am struggling with the politics of it. If my argument is premised on bridging the two fields, how do I determine which single journal to choose? I'm considering the best journals of both the larger and smaller fields. I would probably opt for the journal of the larger field, because it has a wider readership, but then I feel like that choice marginalizes the other field--which goes against what I am trying to do. I've looked at other essays that have similar aims to see where they were published and it seems like those authors choose the more widely circulated journal.

No, most journals will not accept a submission which is already under consideration at another journal, and simply being "very clear" about this does not address the problem.

You are right, of course, mleok.

[merinoblue]

If this was me, I would be pragmatic, and worry less about how the choice of journal would shift the tension over this issue.  I would send an inquiry letter to editor of each journal with an abstract of the ms, and ask if the article was something that would fall within the scope of their journal and be of interest to their readership.  I would make my decision based on their responses. I do this in my job, usually with multiple journal contenders. We rule out journal choices very quickly this way. (Sometimes we're left with no choice, and have to start over again, with a new slate.)

[origamigal]

If this was me, I would be pragmatic, and worry less about how the choice of journal would shift the tension over this issue.  I would send an inquiry letter to editor of each journal with an abstract of the ms, and ask if the article was something that would fall within the scope of their journal and be of interest to their readership.  I would make my decision based on their responses. I do this in my job, usually with multiple journal contenders. We rule out journal choices very quickly this way. (Sometimes we're left with no choice, and have to start over again, with a new slate.)

I can always use the advice of the pragmatical, merinoblue!

I'm pretty confident that the issue is of interest to both fields (it's been discussed on and off for a few years now) but you're probably right that the responses of editors to such a query could help gauge my chances of publication. Thank you for the advice.

[merinoblue]

If this was me, I would be pragmatic, and worry less about how the choice of journal would shift the tension over this issue.  I would send an inquiry letter to editor of each journal with an abstract of the ms, and ask if the article was something that would fall within the scope of their journal and be of interest to their readership.  I would make my decision based on their responses. I do this in my job, usually with multiple journal contenders. We rule out journal choices very quickly this way. (Sometimes we're left with no choice, and have to start over again, with a new slate.)

I can always use the advice of the pragmatical, merinoblue!

I'm pretty confident that the issue is of interest to both fields (it's been discussed on and off for a few years now) but you're probably right that the responses of editors to such a query could help gauge my chances of publication. Thank you for the advice.

It's worthwhile to do, because not only the content of their replies will provide valuable information, but sometimes, so will the tone, the response time, and the process of responding to your inquiry. (e.g. How on the ball is the editor and how organized are the staff at the journal? Does the email get forwarded to several people before someone replies, weeks later, or does the editor answer you directly and within days?).  Sometimes the editor will respond by saying, "Yes we're interested, but only if your article addresses X and Y," which could influence your decision.

Good luck.