Find papers and check research venues

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Lab reading rule: start with relevant journal papers from JCR Q1 or Q2 journals. For computer science, also use strong conferences in the right research area. Read the methods and results carefully; a venue label alone does not prove that a paper is correct.

1. Search for a clear topic

  1. Write one research question, such as: How can we detect faults in a machine from sensor time series?
  2. Split it into two or three ideas: fault detection, time series, and manufacturing.
  3. Search Web of Science, Google Scholar, IEEE Xplore, or the ACM Digital Library. Use your university library sign-in when needed.
  4. Use a search such as "fault detection" AND "time series" AND manufacturing. Remove one term if the results are too narrow.
  5. Start with recent papers and one recent review. Then follow their references to important older work.
  6. Open the publisher record. Save the DOI and BibTeX entry. Use the library copy or a legal open-access version for the full text.

2. Check the journal in JCR

  1. Open Journal Citation Reports through your university library. If access fails, connect through the library’s off-campus access service or ask the librarian.
  2. Search for the exact journal title or ISSN. Match the publisher and ISSN; similar names can describe different journals.
  3. Select the JCR year. For a current reading list, use the latest year available and record it.
  4. Open the journal profile. Find Rank by Journal Impact Factor (JIF).
  5. Read the JIF quartile for the subject category that matches your topic. Use Q1 or Q2 for the normal lab reading list.
  6. Record the title, ISSN, JCR year, category, and JIF quartile in your reading table. If several categories appear, record them and explain which one matches your work.
  7. Save the journal-profile link. Recheck the value before reporting it in a paper or proposal.

Q1 is the highest quarter group in a subject category. Q2 is the next quarter group. A journal can have a different quartile in another category or year. Read JIF quartile, not JCI quartile, when applying this lab rule. Use the Clarivate journal-profile help and quartile explanation to check the fields.

Do not replace a JCR result with a website’s unverified “Q1” claim. Treat SCImago/SJR quartiles and Scopus CiteScore as separate measures. A search index is not the same as a journal ranking. Ask your supervisor before using a necessary reference outside the lab rule, such as a standard, dataset, preprint, or classic paper.

3. Check a computer-science conference

  1. Open the official ICORE Conference Portal (formerly CORE).
  2. Search the full conference name or acronym. Check the research field and ranking-list version.
  3. Start your venue search with A* and A conferences in the correct field. Record the rank and list version. ICORE describes A as excellent and A* as a flagship venue.
  4. Follow the conference’s official website to the accepted papers or proceedings. Use DBLP, ACM, IEEE, or the publisher to check the title, authors, year, and DOI.
  5. Check whether the item is a full conference paper, workshop paper, poster, or demo. Do not give a workshop the main conference’s rank without checking it.

Use the ICORE rank definitions when you read the result. DBLP and publisher records help find and identify papers; their presence alone is not a ranking.

4. Start a journal list for IE and management science

Use these publisher lists as starting points. Check each journal’s current JCR category and quartile yourself. Do not copy an old rank from a presentation.

Research areaStart your search here
Operations research, optimization, and decisionsINFORMS journals, including Operations Research, Management Science, and INFORMS Journal on Optimization
Manufacturing and service operationsManufacturing & Service Operations Management, listed in the INFORMS journal directory
Industrial engineering and productionInternational Journal of Production Research and IISE Transactions. Read the scope, then check JCR.
Operational-research methods and applicationsEuropean Journal of Operational Research, from the EURO society. Check the JCR year and category yourself.
Wider operational researchIFORS publications, including International Transactions in Operational Research

A journal directory is a place to find venues; it does not promise Q1 or Q2 status. Match the paper to your question, then check its venue.

5. Keep a reading table

Create a file called reading-list.csv or a shared spreadsheet. Add one row per paper:

Title | Year | DOI | Venue | JCR year + category + quartile / ICORE rank + version | Research question | Data | Method | Main result | Limitation | Use in my project

Read the abstract first. Then read the figures, method, and results. Write a short summary in your own words. Before the meeting, choose the three papers most useful for your next experiment and explain how you will use them.