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Predatory Publishing

A guide on predatory publishing, legitimate journal recommendations, and open access.

What are Predatory Conferences?

An invitation to a conference in an exotic location.  Theses are generally fake conferences.  Similar to predatory publishing, they are an attempt to extort money from scholars.

Warning Signs

​​First Contact

  • Email flattery is used to boost your ego.
  • They oversell the importance of the conference.
  • The invitation to the conference is not in your field.
  • They ask you to bring colleagues to the conference.

Website

  • The associated website is unprofessional and contains distorted images.
  • The conference proceedings are unavailable online or to libraries.
  • It is difficult to determine how many past conferences have been held.

Conference logistics

  • The conference is unknown by peers.
  • The conference is held in a popular vacation destination.
  • The theme is overly broad.
  • There is a higher registration fee to speak, moderator or chair a panel.
  • The conference is organized by an unknown organizer or publisher.

Check List from Think.Check.Attend

Organizers & Sponsors

  •  Are you aware of the society or the association organizing this conference?
  • Are any sponsors involved in the conference?
  • Can you find all the information presented in a proper way such as the (attendance fees, submission date, conference date, editorial committee, program details, venue)?  
  • Have you read any papers from this conference proceedings before?

Agenda & Editorial Committee

  • Is there clear information about the timeline and the agenda for the conference?
  • Have you heard of the Keynote speakers?
  •  Is the Editorial Committee listed on the website?
  • Is the Committee clear about the editorial control over presentations and the type of peer-review it uses?

Conference Proceedings 

  •  Is the Organizing Committee clear about where the proceedings will be published?
  •  Is the publisher of the proceedings a member of a recognized industry initiative such as COPE, DOAJ, OASPA?
  • Does the conference make it clear which indexing services it can guarantee published proceedings and to which indexers it will submit the proceedings for evaluation?

Checklist from Think.Check.Attend

Evaluating Conferences