Predatory Journals & Publishers

The amount of research being published worldwide is increasing exponentially. New publishers and journals are launched every week. This explosion in the publishing world has given rise to unethical entities looking to take advantage of unsuspecting authors.

Predatory publishers or journals charge authors a fee for publication (often called article processing charges or APCs)-- but do not provide the legitimate editorial or peer review services expected from reputable journals. Charging a fee is a legitimate business model, but the publisher should provide a good publishing service in return.  Predatory publishers often target researchers under pressure to publish for academic advancement.

This guide is designed to help you recognize predatory (or questionable) journals. More importantly, it will help you identify trusted publishers for your research.

The dangers of predatory publishing include:

• Money wasted - Authors receive little or no value from their payments and possible hidden costs.
• Lack of peer review - Authors could lose out on helpful feedback from a legitimate peer review process that coult strengthen their research skills and writing.
• Copyright theft  - Many predatory publishers claim broad rights to authors' work. This could prevent future reuse and impact funder mandates for public access.
• Limited distribution - It is difficult for readers to find articles published in journals not indexed in academic databases which limits an articles citation rate.
• Limited lifespan - Many predatory publishers lack an archiving policy.  Authors will not necessarily know how long their article will be available online.
• Time wasted - Time spent publishing in a questionable journal can lead nowhere, delaying legitimate publishing opportunities.
• Legal complications - Unclear contracts and terms can lead to legal issues with copyright.
• Damage to credibility - Other researchers may be reluctatnt to collaborate with someone who has published with predatory publishers.

During Submission

• Aggressive email solicitation
• Extremely short review periods (days/weeks)
• Requests for immediate payment or publication fees upfront
• Poor or awkward grammar/spelling in correspondence
• Lack of clear peer review process

Predatory Journal/Publisher Characteristics

• Missing or fake editorial boards
• Rapid publication is promised
• Manuscripts are requested to be submitted by email instead of through an online submission system
• No clear retraction policies
• Inflated or fabricated impact factors
• Lack of indexing in legitimate databases

Hijacked journals are a type of predatory journal which mimic legitimate journals by adopting their titles, ISSNs, and other metadata; usually  without permission from the original journal. Sometimes publishers buy rights to a legitimate journal but continue the publication under considerably less stringent publishing protocols and without clearly noting to the reader the change in ownership or publication standards. These are known as “cloned” journals. 

Here are some criteria you should consider when evaluting a journal for your manuscript:

• Are you or your colleagues (or mentor) familiar with this journal?
• Can you identify the publisher? Do they provide contact information?
• Can you identify the editor-in-chief and the editorial board?
• Is the title of the journal unique? It should not be the same as or confused with another journal.
• Is the journal clear about its peer review process?
• Are articles in this journal indexed in an easily discoverable database (e.g. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science)?
• Does the publisher use persistant identifiers (i.e. DOI numbers)?
• Does the journal clearly explain their fee structure and when fees will be charged?
• Does the journal list the amount of any fees?
• Are the journal's licensing and copyright policies clearly explained?

A more extensive checklist is available from Think Check Submit.

If you are still unsure, contact a research librarian.

Identify Reputable Journals

Evaluation Tools