Publication Forum (JuFo)

Publication Forum (i.e. Julkaisufoorumi, often referred to as JUFO in Finnish) is a rating and classification system of scientific publication channels created by the Finnish scientific community to support the quality assessment of academic research. To account for the different publication cultures characteristic of various disciplines, the classification includes academic journals, book series, conferences as well as book publishers.

In publication channel search, you can search for journals, series, conferences and book publishers that have a Publication Forum (JUFO) rating. The three-level classification evaluated by 23 discipline-specific expert panels rates the major foreign and domestic publication channels of all disciplines as follows:

1 = basic level
2 = leading level
3 = highest level

  • Other identified publication channels which have not received level 1 rating are marked with 0.
  • If there is no marking, the publication channel in question is under evaluation, and yet without a rating.

The Publication Forum classification was created to respond to the need to evaluate the research output of universities and other institutes not only quantitatively but also qualitatively. Since 2015, the classification has been used as a quality indicator of the research output produced by universities within the university funding model established by the Ministry of Education and Culture.

The JUFO classification provides information on the impact of academic publication channels and the appreciation they enjoy within the scientific community. The objective of the Publication Forum is to encourage Finnish scholars and researchers to publish their research outcomes in high-level domestic and foreign forums.  However, the level awarded to a publication channel mirrors the average level of its published articles, and thus it is rational to use the classification to evaluate large publication volumes only. The classification is not suited for the evaluation of the merits of an individual researcher, nor can it replace an assessment made by experts in a specific field e.g. in recruitment situations.

Decorative image. Publication Forum logo.

Practise to use JUFO:

  • Check the experts of the JUFO Panel of your discipline. Can you find any familiar panelists?
  • Can you find level 3 journals of your discipline, where you could possibly publish?
  • Can you find a potential journal for your article, which accepts open access? What is its publication forum level and open access type?

Further reading:

Finnish national guide to publication metrics: Analysis tools: Publication Forum.

(3/2023 JN)