Predatory Publishing

Evaluate the Reputation and Legitimacy of a Journal

1. Visit the journal's web site.  Examine closely the publisher web site.  Does it look like it was created by a shoddy web design team?  Does it contain grammar mistakes?  Does it provide responsive contact information?
2. Affiliation. Is the journal affiliated with a professional association, scholarly society, or sponsored by an academic instituion?
3. Reach out to journal's editorial board members. Send emails to members of the editorial board asking about their experience with the journal.  Predatory journals may list editorial board members who don't know their names are associated with the journal or who have been tricked into joining the board and then can't get their names removed.
4. Aim and goals of journal. Read the scope of the journal.  If it is too broad or if it sounds too good to be true, look again and question.
5. Read their peer review policy. What promises are made in the peer review policy?  Is the peer review process unbelievably quick (such as three weeks)? Is the peer review process blinded?
6. Check to see what "author fees" are being requested. When are they due?  Predatory publishers may be unclear on author fees.  A red flag is when the journal doesn't list a fee schedule on its website or states it will notify authors of the fee after their manuscript is accepted for publication.
7. Check journal indexes (indices). If a journal and/or publisher is listed, they are likely to be reputable. Examples include:
   • Directory of Open Access Journals: Lists journal titles that have met DOAJ professional criteria. Criteria include DOIs for every article and archiving standards.
   • Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association: Check to see if the publishers are members.
   • Serials Directory. Check Seneca Libraries' Serials Directory to see if the publication is listed.
8. Consult with a Seneca librarian. The librarians at Seneca Libraries can help you determine the legitimacy of a journal/publisher.