Predatory Publishing

Think. Check. Submit is a cross-organization effort to help researchers figure out whether a specific journal is a viable option for publishing research.  Use it to evaluate journals that are new to you before submitting to them.

Checklist for Journal Consideration

• Do you or your colleagues know the journal?
  • Have you read any articles in the journal before?
  • Is it easy to discover the latest papers in the journal?
• Can you easily identify and contact the publisher?
  • Is the publisher name clearly displayed on the journal website?
  • Can you contact the publisher by telephone, email, and post?
• Is the journal clear about the type of peer review it uses?
• Are articles indexed in services that you use?
• Is it clear what fees will be charged?
  • Does the journal site explain what these fees are for and when they will be charged?
• Do you recognize the editorial board?
  • Have you heard of the editorial board members?
  • Do the editorial board members mention the journal on their own websites?
• Is the publisher a member of a recognized industry initiative?
  • Do they belong to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)?
  • If the journal is open access, is it listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)?
  • If the journal is open access, does the publisher belong to the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA)?
  • Is the publisher a member of another trade association?