Predatory Publishing: Checklists

You have received an email inviting you to

• publish your paper for a small fee OR
• serve on their editorial board OR
• edit a special issue OR
• present as keynote speaker at a conference

STEP 1 Be alert

• Is it a legitimate request? - We are all flattered to be listed among the top experts of our field. 
• Do they want my work? My credentials? Name? Money? All of the above? 
• Are there any typos? Grammatical errors? Awkward sentences? 

STEP 2 Read between the lines

• Are they offering special treatment in one way or another? - Watch out for promises of rapid peer review or publication.
• Does it sound like "pyramid" publishing? Do they expect you to drag your colleagues into it, too? 
• Does it sound too good to be true?

STEP 3 Check out the sender

• Is there full contact info: email, phone, address? Are they in the same physical location (state, continent)?
• Is there a street address? Look it up on Google Maps! Is it an empty lot in the middle of nowhere?
• Do they direct you to their website? Look it up! Watch out for poor design and missing content.

STEP 4 Consider it predatory until proven otherwise

• Consult Beall's List, even though it is not current, many publishers have been in the business for a while.
• Use Think. Check. Submit. to check for authority.
• Ask around. Ask your colleagues - predatory publishers tend to send the same email to authors (or anyone related to your research, e. g., listed on your lab's website) at the same time.
• Ask a librarian. If there is a subject specialist, ask that librarian, or just ask any librarian.

• 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 recognise the editorial board?
• – Have you heard of the editorial board members?
  – Do the editorial board mention the journal on their own websites?
• Adapted from  Think.Check.Submit. 

Aimed at the busy author, the following survey uses only 12 questions, based on the well-established criteria for determining predatory open-access publishers by Jeffrey Beall .

• Primary goal: to make money
• Reputation: questionable
• Emails: flattering, persuasive, and repetitive
• Databases: none of them included the title
• Author is targeted by website, not the reader
• Title: suggests a vague or broad scope
• Open Access, but publisher retains copyright
• Revision: not required, instant publication guaranteed
• Yes, it’s predatory!