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Predatory Publishing

Common Characteristics of Predatory Publishers

Listed below are some common signs of a predatory publisher to keep an eye out for:

  • Journal solicited you directly over email - an email that may include excessive flattery and praise, awkward and potentially typo-ridden language, and also may originate from a generic email address

  • Journal name is suspiciously similar to the name of a prominent journal in the field

  • Website has numerous spelling and grammatical errors, and may also have an amateurish appearance that includes broken links and low-quality images

  • Scope of the journal is either unclear or strangely broad

  • Contact information just has a web contact form instead of an email address and/or a physical address

  • No verifiable ISSN or DOI

  • Author fees are either unlisted, or suspiciously low in comparison to reputable open access journals

  • Promises a rapid peer-review process, usually in just a matter of days

  • Manuscripts are asked to be submitted over email instead of through an online submission system

  • Retraction and/or correction policies are either unclear or not listed at all

  • Copyright policies are either unclear or not listed at all

Common Characteristics of Reputable Publishers

In turn, reputable publishers usually carry some combination of the following characteristics:

  • The journal is affiliated with or was established by a scholarly or academic institution or organization

  • Has a verifiable ISSN

  • Articles have verifiable DOIs

  • The journal has an impact factor

  • The journal is listed in legitimate indexing services or databases

  • The journal's scope is well defined and clearly written on its website

  • The editors and the editorial board consist of recognized experts in the field

  • The peer-review process is rigorous and clearly explained on website

  • The fee structure is clearly explained and is easily found on the website

  • The copyright and usage rights are clearly stated (e.g. Creative Commons License CC BY license)

  • If it is an open access publication, the journal is listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)

    • Note: Some questionable journals also appear in directories such as DOAJ, so this should not be your only criteria when evaluating journals

  • The publisher is a member of Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA)

  • The contact information is clearly provided

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