Beware of Predatory Journals

Among the Open Access journals, there are inferior journals (predatory journals) that do not appropriately conduct peer reviews, and aim to exploit the Article Processing Charge (APC) paid by the author when submitting academic papers.

In order to select an appropriate journal for submitting an academic paper, check the following points before submitting.

The disadvantages of being included in a predatory journal

  • The academic paper will not be fairly evaluated, and the evaluation and trustworthiness of the author and the research institution to which the author belongs will be damaged.
  • Troubles related to the submission fee may arise, such as demands for exorbitantly high payments.
  • There is a risk of submission withdrawals not being allowed, and resubmission to other journals becoming impossible.
  • Secure and stable access to the academic paper may not be guaranteed, and the paper may suddenly become inaccessible.

How to check if a journal is predatory

There are no clearly specified lists of predatory journals. Additionally, fake websites that look exactly like real journals are being found.
We have included links to websites that can serve as reference information for checking the reputability of a journal. However, you should select an appropriate journal for submission based on a comprehensive evaluation from multiple sources.

Check lists

Whitelists

The whitelists are only a suggestion for making judgements. If a journal is not listed in a whitelist, that does not necessarily mean it is an inferior journal.

Status of participation in organizations and groups

Other methods

  • Check the reputation of the journal among researchers in similar fields
  • Look at the official website of the publisher or academic society of the journal and check to make sure there are no suspicious points
    • Examples of points to check
    • What kind of organization is the journal publisher?
    • What kind of researchers are among the editorial committee members?
    • Is information clearly displayed about the publisher contact information, the peer review policy and process, and the submission fee?

    If you receive an e-mail from an organization, do not click the links in the e-mail. Instead, search for the organization’s official website through a search engine and access it from there.

  • Check if the peer review timeframe is exceptionally short
    • SciRev
      A database sharing the experiences of researchers concerning the number of days needed for the peer review process and related details

Also, beware of predatory academic societies!

There are also academic conferences called predatory conferences which aim to collect membership fees, and do not appropriately conduct meetings or peer reviews of presented academic papers. When considering participating in an academic conference or choosing where to present your research, use the following website as a reference guide.

References