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Scholarly Publishing

Predatory Publishers

Predatory journals are publications that claim to be distinguished scholarly journals, but misrepresent their intentions by exploiting the work of scholars seeking to publish to earn tenure at their institution. 

The primary goal is to profit. 

Why it is important to avoid predatory journals:

  • Fake peer review facilitates the spread of misinformation. 
  • Publishing in a low-quality journal can make your research less accessible and discoverable.
  • You could be scammed and lose the rights to your work.

How to avoid predatory journals:

 

Red Flags

  • Claims to be peer-reviewed but does not deliver quality that is promised. 
  • Advertises incorrect Journal Impact Factor or another metric that cannot be verified (the Index Copernicus Value is one example). 
  • Advertises unrealistic timeline (be wary of unusually quick turnaround rates).
  • Publishes any article for which an APC is received.
  • Publishes articles with poor quality editing (many grammar/citation errors).
  • Editorial boards with members that do not exist or have affiliations/credentials that cannot be verified.
  • Aggressively seeks submissions through email invitations. 
  • Physical location and corresponding contact information in different states or countries.
  • Requires authors to transfer copyright to the journal so that it cannot be published elsewhere.
  • Publishes articles befoer author agreement is signed; Ignores take-down requests.
  • Removes articles without informing the authors.   

Tips to Check Credibility

  • Check the website for grammatical errors or questionable characteristics.

  • Is the peer review process clearly explained? 

  • Are publishing fees clearly stated?
  • Is the journal indexed in databases that you used for your research?

  • Can you easily contact members of the editorial board?

  • Are the time-stamps of incoming emails consistent with the working hours of the reported country of origin?

  • Does the phone number have the correct area or country code?

  • Can you verify that the journal is a member of the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA) or listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)?

Resources for Identifying Predatory Journals

Library Resources

  • Cabell's Directory of Publishing Opportunities is the complete source for publishing information on academic journals - from evaluation metrics to submission details - to assist users interested in getting their work published. Includes Journalytics, a curated list of over 11,000 academic journals spanning 18 disciplines guides researchers and institutions in getting the most impact out of their research, and Predatory Reports, which aims to shine a light on the deceptive practices that threaten to undermine quality research.
  • Ulrichsweb: Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory provides data on regularly published and irregularly issued serials since 1979. This reference provides purchasing and contact information (conventional and electronic) for publishers in various countries.
  • Web of Science (formerly Web of Knowledge) offers a wide range of interdisciplinary content. Also included: prominent journals and conference proceedings, Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1985-present); Science Citation Index (1955-present); and Social Sciences Citation Index (1900-present).

Web Resources

  • The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) is comprised of a voluntary group of editors, publishers, and academic and research institutes that promote ethical publishing practices. The COPE website provides guidance for daily practice, case studies and advice for experiences with predatory publishers, and a searchable database of reputable publishers and journals.

  • SCImago Journal Rank is a free portal that provides measures of journal citation rates derived from data in the Scopus database. SCImago can help you determine if a journal is properly indexed and help you identify similar journals in your subject area for potential publication. 

  • National Library of Medicine (NLM) Catalog indexes articles and journals within MEDLINE and PubMed. If a journal is not in the NLM catalog or has an entry in the NLM Catalog but is not listed as indexed for MEDLINE, that may mean that it is out of scope (not biomedical) or that it might not be considered a trustworthy journal.

  • Retraction Watch is a professional blog that tracks stories of retracted scientific articles and provides a searchable database of retracted and/or corrected articles.

Contents of this page are provided by:

Elmore, S. A., & Weston, E. H. (2020). Predatory journals: What they are and how to avoid them. Toxicologic pathology, 48(4), 607–610. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192623320920209