Skip to Main Content

Publishing Your Scholarly Article

What is a Predatory Journal?

A wolf clad as a sheep journal.

What is a Predatory Journal?

Though multiple definitions of predatory journal exist, a predatory journal can be succinctly described as "entities that prioritize self-interest at the expense of scholarship and are characterized by false or misleading information, deviation from best editorial and publication practices, a lack of transparency, and/or the use of aggressive and indiscriminate solicitation practices.”

 

Illustration by David Parkins, used with permission. Quote and image source: Grudniewicz, A., Moher, D., Cobey, K. D., Bryson, G. L., Cukier, S., Allen, K.,  … Lalu, M. M. (2019). Predatory journals: No definition, no defence. Nature, 576, 210–212. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-03759-y

Lists of Known Predatory Publishers and Quality Journals

Controversy

Using the label "predatory" for a publisher or journal is sometimes controversial. For example, while journals from less developed countries may have less stringent practices, some believe they may also serve a role in forwarding scholarship in that country. Unfortunately, there is no one authoritative "list to rule them all." While these lists may be helpful, ultimately you should decide for yourself whether you believe a publisher is predatory using the criteria on this guide. To fully inform your decision, here are lists of journals that others have deemed predatory, and those deemed to be quality.

Lists of Suspected Predatory Publishers and Journals

Lists of Quality Journals

Journal Ranking Resources

Red Flags that Signal a Journal May Be Predatory

Credible journals require hurdles to be jumped, while predatory journals roll out the red carpet.

Image Source: Sax, P. E. (May 18, 2018). Predatory Journals Are Such a Big Problem It’s Not Even Funny [Blog Post]. Retrieved from https://blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-observations/index.php/predatory-journals-big-problem-not-even-funny/2018/05/28/

Red Flags

The following lists are adapted from academic journal articles that discuss how to identify predatory journals. If a journal meets a few of these criteria, that does not necessarily prove it is predatory, but it does mean you should closely scrutinize the journal for more red flags.

  • The scope of interest includes unrelated subjects alongside topics in your field
  • The website contains spelling and grammar errors
  • Images are distorted/fuzzy, intended to look like something they are not, or which are unauthorized
  • The homepage language targets authors
  • The Index Copernicus Value is promoted on the website. This Index has been criticized for ranking predatory journals. 
  • Description of the manuscript handling process is lacking
  • Manuscripts are requested to be submitted via email
  • Rapid publication is promised
  • There is no retraction policy
  • Information on whether and how journal content will be digitally preserved is absent
  • The article processing/publication charge is very low (e.g., less than $150 USD)
  • Journals claiming to be open access either retain copyright of published research or fail to mention copyright
  • The contact email address is non-professional and non-journal affiliated (e.g. @gmail.com or @yahoo.com)

Source: Shamseer, L., Moher, D., Maduekwe, O., Turner, L., Barbour, V., Burch, R., Clark, J., Galipeau, J., Roberts, J., & Shea, B. J. (2017). Potential predatory and legitimate biomedical journals: can you tell the difference? A cross-sectional comparison. BMC Medicine, 15, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-017-0785-9

  • The publisher is not a member of any recognized professional organisation committed to best publishing practices (like COPE or EASE)
  • The journal is not indexed in well-established electronic databases (like Medline or Web of Science)
  • The publisher claims to be a ‘‘leading publisher’’ even though it just got started
  • The journal and the publisher are unfamiliar to you and all your colleagues
  • The papers of the journal are of poor research quality, and may not be academic at all (for instance allowing for obvious pseudo-science)
  • There are fundamental errors in the titles and abstracts, or frequent and repeated typographical or factual errors throughout the published papers
  • The journal website is not professional
  • The journal website does not present an editorial board or gives insufficient detail on names and affiliations
  • The journal website does not reveal the journal’s editorial office location or uses an incorrect address
  • The publishing schedule is not clearly stated
  • The journal title claims a national affiliation that does not match its location (such as’’American Journal of...’’ while being located on another continent) or includes’’international’’ in its title while having a single-country editorial board
  • The journal mimics another journal title or the website of said journal
  • The journal provides an impact factor in spite of the fact that the journal is new (which means that the impact cannot yet be calculated)
  • The journal claims an unrealistically high impact based on spurious alternative impact factors (such as 7 for a bioethics journal, which is far beyond the top notation)
  • The journal website posts non-related or non-academic advertisements
  • The publisher of the journal has released an overwhelmingly large suite of new journals at one occasion or during a very short period of time
  • The editor in chief of the journal is editor in chief also for other journals with widely different focus
  • The journal includes articles (very far) outside its stated scope
  • The journal sends you an unsolicited invitation to submit an article for publication, while making it blatantly clear that the editor has absolutely no idea about your field of expertise
  • Emails from the journal editor are written in poor language, include exaggerated flattering (everyone is a leading profile in the field), and make contradictory claims (such as ‘‘You have to respond within 48 hours’’ while later on saying ‘‘You may submit your manuscript whenever you find convenient’’)
  • The journal charges a submission or handling fee, instead of a publication fee (which means that you have to pay even if the paper is not accepted for publication)
  • The types of submission/publication fees and what they amount to are not clearly stated on the journal’s website
  • The journal gives unrealistic promises regarding the speed of the peer review process (hinting that the journal’s peer review process is minimal or non-existent)—or boasts an equally unrealistic track-record
  • The journal does not describe copyright agreements clearly or demands the copyright of the paper while claiming to be an open access journal
  • The journal displays no strategies for how to handle misconduct, conflicts-of-interests, or secure the archiving of articles when no longer in operation

Source: Eriksson, S., & Helgesson, G. (2017). The false academy: predatory publishing in science and bioethics. Medicine, Health Care, And Philosophy, 20(2), 163–170. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-016-9740-3

Get Online Access Support
• Eli M. Oboler Library • 850 S. 9th Avenue • Stop 8089 • Pocatello, Idaho, USA 83209 • Site Feedback - Library Webmaster
Licensing Restrictions for Use of Electronic Resources