Solo publication in a low-rank journal or co-authored with a famous professor in a high/medium-rank journal? Is it better to have a publication in a high/medium-rank journal co-authored with a very famous professor or would it be better to publish the same paper solo, in a lower-ranked journal?
I am asking this considering the fact that sometimes, writing a paper with an expert in the field opens doors to more opportunities in terms of higher-level journals. Of course it is not always the case, but assume for this question that it is. What would be the best thing to do?
Technically, this probably isn't an answer, but information that I hope will be valuable to you in your early career.
It isn't really a matter of either-or, here. But, you want to publish &quot;good&quot; papers in &quot;appropriate&quot; journals working with &quot;helpful colleagues&quot; when possible. What is &quot;better&quot; is better papers, actually.
Publishing low quality papers, in whatever journal, does you little good. The &quot;fame&quot; of a co-author might actually cloud your participation/contribution and might, when taken to the extreme, result in misconduct: i.e. &quot;gift&quot; authorship.
But collaboration is good. Not because it &quot;puts points on the board&quot; (which is IMO a foolish quest) but because it leads to better papers, deeper insight, and the faster advancement of a field. The collaboration can be, and usually is, among peers, though student/advisor collaborations are also common.
So, the advice is to write the best papers you can, collaborating as appropriate and as valuable, and submit to the best journals that you can. Think more about the fun of research and the advancement of the field and less about &quot;winning&quot; some imagined game.
Write a lot of good papers, singly or in collaboration, send them to good journals and your career has a good chance to succeed.