Q: Which journal would be best for my manuscript after it received an Associate Editor (AE) decision?

It seems your manuscript was desk-rejected, that too, soon after submission. If so, sorry to hear. The reason seems to be a mismatch with the journal’s scope, as you may have gauged too. On the forum however, we don’t recommend journals, but we do provide pointers on how you can select the right journal. Some of these would be:

• Look up databases such as DOAJ and Scimago JCR to identify potential journals.
• On the journal site, go through their Aims and Scope page/section to understand the topics the journal typically publishes in.
• If needed, send a presubmission inquiry to your shortlisted journals with a basic idea of your paper (but without providing the paper itself), to assess their level of interest.

You will find the above strategies discussed in more detail in the following resources:

• Tips from a journal editor: How to select a journal for your paper?
• Journal selection guide: Questions you should ask to make the right choice

Additionally, you may consider our journal selection service: Editage Journal Selection

Hope that helps. Better luck with your next submission!