Predatory journals

A predatory journal charges authors a fee to publish but skips real peer review. It looks like a real journal, but it is a business that sells publication. Papers in these journals are often low quality, and publishing in one can hurt your record.

Warning signs

• An email invites you to submit, with flattering words, even though you have never published in the area.
• It promises acceptance or publication in days.
• The scope is very wide ("all fields of science and engineering").
• The name copies a famous journal with one word changed.
• It shows made-up metrics, or impact factors from organisations nobody has heard of.
• The fee is not clearly stated until after acceptance.
• The editorial board lists people who do not know they are on it, or no real people at all.
• Papers have obvious errors, and there is no sign of real review.

How to check a journal

• Use the Think. Check. Submit. checklist, a free guide made by publishers and library groups.
• Check whether the journal is listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), which screens open-access journals.
• See whether people you trust, such as your supervisor or senior researchers, publish there.
• Look at past papers: are they from known researchers, and are they of good quality?

Fees are not the problem

Many honest open-access journals charge a fee (an article processing charge) so the paper is free for everyone to read. The problem is charging for a review that never happens.

RememberIf a journal wants your paper more than you want to publish there, be suspicious.