Recent years have seen significant focus on research output within the scientific community, which is communicated through various channels. It is widely accepted that scientific output is primarily conveyed through publications, with quality often linked to the journal in which an article appears. Numerous studies have explored the quality of this communication medium, mainly relying on citation analysis and expert opinions. Publishing in scientific journals serves diverse customers, with quality determined by the consumers themselves. Consumer behavior theory seeks to explain consumer actions, and this work proposes a four-factor Structural Equation Model based on cognitive factors such as information, learning, and perception to empirically assess perceived journal quality. The discussion aims to enhance understanding of journal development and evaluation, particularly in tourism research performance, while offering new insights into scholars' quality judgments regarding journals. Unlike previous ranking studies, this work uniquely measures scientific journal quality by focusing on the behavioral aspects of tourism scientists and developing a model for assessing perceived journal quality. The findings align with earlier research but provide a fresh perspective on the evaluation process.
