Predatory Publishers & Conferences

What is predatory publishing?

Predatory journals are dubious publications that offer publishing services in exchange for payment but do not meet quality standards. For example, they do not provide adequate quality assurance through peer review.

Identifying predatory journals
Red Flags
  • Aggressive email advertising (mass emails/spam)
  • Broad and vague scope of the journal or various unrelated subject areas
  • The publisher offers a wide range of journals with very little content.
  • Irregular publication cycles in the issue archive, issues that are inaccessible or do not exist at all
  • No clear, transparent information about the peer review process and the publication process
  • No clear, transparent information about publication costs and the business model
  • The publisher's name is not clearly stated on the journal's homepage and contact information is incomplete and difficult to verify
  • Incorrect information, e.g., about the members of the editorial board, impact factors, ISSN, etc.
  • The website appears unprofessional, confusing, or offers little information.
  • Imitation of the design or similarity of the name to renowned scientific journals
  • Standards for scientific publications are not adhered to (assignment of DOIs & CC licenses)
What precautions can be taken?

Is the publisher a member of one of the following initiatives?

  • Open Access Scholarly Publishers' Association (OASPA) – for open access journals
  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) – also for “non-open access journals”

Is the journal listed in quality-checked databases and directories?

With our consulting services, we are happy to assist you in selecting a suitable publication and answer any questions you may have regarding the credibility of a journal.

The library is also involved in the approval process for publications if costs are involved. This means that the publication process can be stopped if the submission is to a predatory journal.

How can you proceed with the review?

The above-mentioned directories and so-called whitelists provide a good guide.

In addition, if you are unsure about the trustworthiness and reliability of a journal, we recommend using the checklist from Think.Check.Submit.https://thinkchecksubmit.org/journals/ as a guide.

To check the seriousness of conferences, there is the Think.Check.Attend checklist. Think.Check.Attend. https://thinkcheckattend.org/

Video about the initiative Think. Check. Submit. by ALPSP, DOAJ, INASP, ISSN, LIBER, OASPA, STM, UKSG, and individual publishers.
(Source: https://vimeo.com/151882443)
Think. Check. Submit.