It isn't cut and dry to recognize a predatory publisher. It requires that the author or researcher investigates the journal and publishers. Some criteria to consider are:
- Invitation comes by email from unknown source
- A lot of the time the predatory publisher is responsible for a whole series of journals ; but there are also standalone predatory journals
- Email comes from unknown source; may be labeled suspected junk mail
- May mention that they saw your presentation at such and such a conference
- Editor/Editorial board
- Do you recognized any of the individuals involved? Qualifications? Do your research. People listed as editors “Andrew Christopher” Reed Anglia U
- Contact info sketchy – do they use gmail or Hotmail address
- Any university or reputable scholarly association affiliation? Can the stated affiliation be verified?
- Same editorial board for a number of journals
- Website appearance and quality
- Language, Professionalism, If there’s advertising, is it appropriate
- Publisher’s name may be similar to legitimate publisher – Canadian Science Publishing (legit) Canadian Science and Technology Press (not)
- Peer review process and standards
- Non-standard procedures
- Length of time for acceptance (days or hours)
- Requests handling or submission fees before acceptance of article
- Journal title and content
- Is the content reflective of the title and stated scope of the journal?
- Titles may be similar to legitimate journals J of Social Issues and Humanities / Journal of Social Issues
Titles may combine disciplines in unusual ways Int J of Arts and Commerce
- Misleading titles – American or British or Canadian Journal of –would expect a national affiliation
- Coverage in reputable citation databases (Web of Science, MLA International Bibliography, Sociological Abstracts, etc...)
- Coverage in Google/Google Scholar, Researchgate, Academia. ed does not count
- Even aggregated databases such as Ebscohost’s contains some suspect material
Ultimately, it is your reputation at stake. Do you want your name associated a sketchy publisher?
If you are ever in doubt about a publisher, ask your liaison librarian for help.
