Predatory Publishing

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.

​​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.

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