By name: venue description: >- This skill should be used when the user asks to "where should I submit this paper", "find a venue for my paper", "which journal fits my paper", "evaluate publication venues", "conference or journal for this work", or needs to identify and evaluate publication venues. Considers scope, impact factor, review timeline, acceptance rate, and fit. Produces a ranked shortlist with submission strategy guidance.
Venue Selection
Help the researcher identify the best publication venue for their paper. The right venue maximizes impact and minimizes wasted review cycles.
Step 1: Read Context
Read .papermill.md (Read tool) for:
- Thesis: The core contribution (determines which communities care).
- Prior art: Where key references are published (reveals relevant venues).
- Review history: Paper quality assessment (determines venue tier).
If .papermill.md does not exist, venue selection can still proceed from the manuscript alone, but results will be stronger with thesis and prior-art context. Suggest running /papermill:init first for best results.
Read the manuscript (Read tool) to understand scope, length, and contribution type.
Step 2: Identify Candidate Venues
Use multiple signals to generate candidates:
From references
Look at where the paper's key references are published. These venues are likely in scope.
From the contribution type
- Theoretical results: Mathematics or statistics journals (Annals of Statistics, JASA, Bernoulli)
- Algorithms: CS conferences (NeurIPS, ICML, AAAI) or journals (JMLR, Algorithmica)
- Applied methods: Domain-specific journals (Biometrics, Technometrics, JRSS-B)
- Systems: Systems conferences (OSDI, SOSP) or journals (TOCS)
- Short/preliminary results: Workshop papers or letters
From web search
Search for "best venues for [topic]" and check recent calls for papers (WebSearch tool).
Step 3: Evaluate Each Venue
For each candidate, assess:
| Factor | What to check |
|---|---|
| Scope | Does the paper's topic match the venue's published scope? |
| Impact | Impact factor, h-index, or community prestige |
| Acceptance rate | How selective is the venue? |
| Review timeline | Time from submission to decision (weeks to months) |
| Open access | Is it OA? Are there APC fees? |
| Page limits | Does the paper fit? |
| Formatting | What template/format is required? |
Step 4: Present Recommendations
Present a ranked shortlist of 3-5 venues:
Venue Recommendations
Rank Venue Fit Impact Timeline Notes 1 ... High ... ... ... 2 ... Good ... ... ... 3 ... Good ... ... ...
For each recommended venue, explain:
- Why this venue is a good fit
- What aspects of the paper the reviewers will care about most
- Any adjustments needed for this venue (length, emphasis, formatting)
Step 5: Submission Strategy
Discuss strategy with the user:
- Top-down: Submit to the best venue first, revise and resubmit if rejected.
- Calibrated: Target the venue where acceptance is most likely given the paper's current quality.
- Dual-track: Prepare a short version for a conference and a full version for a journal.
There is no universally correct strategy. Help the user think through the trade-offs.
Step 6: Update State File
Update .papermill.md (Edit tool):
venue:
target: "Selected venue name"
candidates:
- name: "Venue 1"
fit: "high"
deadline: "YYYY-MM-DD or rolling"
- name: "Venue 2"
fit: "good"
deadline: "YYYY-MM-DD or rolling"
Append a timestamped note documenting the venue analysis.
Step 7: Suggest Next Steps
Venue selected. Next steps:
/papermill:polish: Prepare the paper for submission to the target venue.- Check formatting: Download the venue's template and verify compliance.
- Write cover letter: Some venues require a cover letter; draft one if needed.