• Wide range of journals to consider for publishing
• Make sure your paper is a good "fit" for the scope and focus of the journal you are considering
• Review the journal web site and study recent issues of the journal to determine fit and appropriateness of your topic and methods
• Since you are "entering a conversation" with readers of the journal, you should be familiar with (and cite in your own paper), relevant articles from the journal
• Most scholarly journals use "double-blind" refereeing to review papers:  the reviewer does not know the identity of the author and the author does not know the identity of the reviewer; a few use 'single blind,' where the reviewer knows the identity of the author
• Initial response to an author's journal submission is either

• Acceptance rates of highly regarded journals vary from about 10% to over 60%; if it's a top journal, a high acceptance rate is an indication that many prospective authors have learned what is a good fit and whether or not their paper is an appropriate level for the journal-they are doing their own screening and refereeing.

• "Accept" (as is)-this is rare
• Revise and resubmit (with specified modifications or answers to specific questions)-the changes required may be minor but usually require significant changes or greater explanations; ultimately, even after several review iterations, the paper may either be rejected or accepted
• Reject