This page provides a comprehensive set of criteria to assist researchers in their evaluation of a journal or conference's legitimacy.
Bear in mind that even some trustworthy publications might tick one or more of these boxes – there could be perfectly valid reasons for it. So, don't use these tips as a definitive checklist. Instead, think about the overall reputation and quality of the publication or conference.
Ask yourself: Are you happy for your work and your name to be linked with them? Your research is valuable, and so is your professional reputation, so take a moment to consider before you decide where to submit your work
- Use a search engine to look for the journal's homepage. Typically, a journal should appear in the first few results. You should also note if there are any discussions about the journal's credibility (e.g., sometimes these appear on sites like Quora, Reddit, or ResearchGate). You could also consider adding the word predatory or scam to your search to more pointedly look for these conversations.
- Legitimate journals will have the following listed on their website and should be easily findable:
- Editorial boards
- Often journals from the same publisher will have different editorial boards
- Members of the board should be related to the journal's scope
- Board members should be included in decision-making and aware of they are listed as members (note: this can be difficult, if not impossible, to verify without discussing directly with the board member)
- Publishing schedules
- Author fees
- These should be clearly stated and associated with the publication, not submission, of your research.
- Author fees can vary greatly by publisher, but often these fees will be >$150.
- Scope
- You should confirm that recently published articles match the stated scope of the journal
- You can use database indexes (e.g., Scopus, Web of Science, or MEDLINE), scholarly publishing associations (e.g., Association of American Publishers or Committee on Publishing Ethics), or other services (e.g., Directory of Open Access Journals, Scimago, ISSN registry) to determine if a journal or publisher has been "vetted" by a neutral party.
- Predatory journals will advertise peer review as part of their publishing process. You want to note anything that may be unexpected or different from other publishers. For example:
- Shorted timeline
- Request for peer reviewer recommendations (particularly for research that is not niche)
- Predatory journals often spotlight an impact factor that is unrelated to the Journal Impact Factor many scholars are familiar with.
- Predatory journals and conferences will often solicit content from researchers using generic, form emails. These solicitations may be for conferences, journals, or books that are outside the scope of your published research.
