Just a title so far
Find a Journal From Your Title
You do not need the finished paper to know where it is going.
Recommended journals
Find a home for your research. Enter your title and abstract to see recommended journals.
Deciding where to submit before the manuscript is written changes how it is written. A journal's word limit, its expected structure, its conventions about where the claim sits and how much methodological detail belongs in the main text — all of that is easier to write toward than to retrofit after a rejection. A working title carries less information than an abstract, so the match is coarser, but for the purpose of narrowing to five or six candidates early it is usually enough. Re-run it against the abstract when you have one.
Is a title really enough to match on?
It is coarse but useful for a first shortlist. The abstract gives a much finer match, so re-run it once you have one.
Why choose a journal before writing?
Because word limits and structural conventions are far cheaper to write toward than to retrofit after a rejection.
How many candidates should I shortlist?
Five or six, ordered. Having the next two decided in advance removes the delay that usually follows a rejection.