Predatory Publishing

Checklists

Criteria below are adapted from CARL's How to Assess a Journal resource. 

Review articles

• Read articles from the journal to get a sense of quality

Investigate the journal's reputation

• Consult with colleagues; have they published in or heard of the journal?
• Search online for any comments/posts from academics about their experiences with a journal

Tools: 

• Retraction Watch: Database of journal retractions maintained by the nonprofit Center for Scientific Integrity

Be critical about the journal's marketing and review process 

• Does the journal send unsolicited emails?
• Does the journal promise a quick peer review process?

Review the journal's website 

• Is there clear and detailed information available about:
  • the peer review process
  • APCs (article processing charges)
  • how to contact the publisher
  • the editorial board, including affiliations 
  • author rights, including copyright 
• Does the website state where the journal is indexed, and are you familiar with the indexes?
• What is the scope of the journal? Is it overly broad?
• Is the website design professional looking, with no spelling or grammar errors?
• Does the journal reference well-known metrics such as impact factor or metrics you have never heard of?
• Is the journal a member of any reputable organizations, such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)?
• Some predatory publishers include false information on websites in order to appear legitimate, such as using academics' names without their knowledge.
  • Investigate some members of the editorial board. Do they reference their connection to the journal?
  •  Verify claims about impact factors and other metrics, indexes, and memberships

Tools:

• Clarivate Analytics' Journal Citation Reports (JCR) is the only source for impact factors. Any journal with an impact factor will appear on the JCR master list (no login required)
• Look up a journal's impact factor with the Journal Citation Reports database (Ontario Tech login)
• Verify claims about where the journal is indexed; for example in Scopus or Web of Science 
• Check COPE members list
• For open access journals, check Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and Open Access Scholarly Publishers' Association (OASPA) 

Identifying the most exploitative bad-faith journals is important, but does not fully address the complexity of the problem or practices that fall into grey areas. For example, a 'legitimate' journal:

• may not meet certain criteria as a result of being newer, small and lacking resources, or other factors rather than predatory intentions 
• may be duped by authors manipulating the peer review process or fail to consistently provide rigorous peer review
• may engage in questionable practices such as attempting to game their impact factor
• may be purchased by a predatory publisher

Further reading:

Presentation delivered by John Dupuis, York University, at OCADU's Open Access Week, 2015:

This Guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY), unless otherwise noted.