How to Spot and Avoid Predatory Journals: A Checklist

Predatory journals are publications that charge authors fees but do not deliver the peer review, editing, indexing or archiving they promise. You avoid them by ignoring unsolicited invitations, verifying every indexing and metric claim at its source, and working through a checklist such as Think. Check. Submit. before you submit anything.

For researchers in India and the GCC the stakes are practical: a paper in a predatory journal may not count towards PhD submission, faculty appointment or promotion, other scientists may hesitate to cite it, and once it is published it is very hard to withdraw and submit elsewhere.

What predatory journals and publishers are

There is no legal definition, but a widely cited consensus definition published in Nature in 2019 describes them as entities that put self-interest ahead of scholarship. They are marked by false or misleading information, departure from accepted editorial and publication practice, lack of transparency, and aggressive, indiscriminate solicitation.

Open access is not the problem. Many excellent journals charge an article processing charge (APC) and are entirely legitimate. The problem is charging for services that are never delivered, especially genuine peer review.

Red flags and how to check them

How to verify a journal, step by step

1. Find the journal yourself. Never start from a link in an invitation email.
2. Work through Think. Check. Submit. This cross-industry checklist asks whether you know the journal, can contact the publisher, and understand its peer review and fees.
3. Check DOAJ for open-access journals. The Directory of Open Access Journals lists journals that meet its quality and transparency criteria.
4. Check COPE membership. Search the Committee on Publication Ethics website directly. Membership signals a commitment to ethics, though it is not a guarantee.
5. Search Scopus and Web of Science yourself. Use the Scopus source list and the Web of Science Master Journal List, matching title and ISSN, and confirm coverage is current, because titles can be discontinued.
6. Check the ISSN on the ISSN Portal and confirm it belongs to that title.
7. Read recent articles. Would you cite them? Are they in your field?
8. Ask your supervisor, librarian or research office before paying anything.

A note on the UGC-CARE list in India

The University Grants Commission introduced the UGC-CARE list to guide Indian researchers towards credible journals, and many universities used it for PhD and faculty requirements. The UGC's approach to journal listing has since changed, so check its current status on the UGC website and confirm your own university's rules before relying on any list.

Older blacklists, such as the one maintained by librarian Jeffrey Beall until 2017, are no longer updated, so verify journals positively rather than relying on their absence from a list.

Hijacked journals and misleading indexing

Hijackers copy the name, ISSN and design of a legitimate journal, often one with a weak web presence, and collect APCs from authors who think they are submitting to the real title. Be suspicious if the domain differs from the one in the indexing database or if payment goes to a personal account.

Watch the wording of indexing claims. Google Scholar finds almost anything online, so being listed there says nothing about quality. Being findable in PubMed is not the same as being indexed in MEDLINE, because PubMed also includes author manuscripts deposited in PubMed Central; check the NLM Catalog instead.

Predatory conferences

Predatory conferences follow the same model: very broad, multidisciplinary themes, many unrelated events at one hotel, promised Scopus-indexed proceedings and high fees with little scientific review. Check the organiser, the scientific committee and whether a recognised professional society or university is genuinely involved.

Worked example: an invitation to a PhD scholar in Coimbatore

A second-year biotechnology PhD scholar in Coimbatore presented a poster on Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. A week later, a journal with an impressive international name emailed to praise her work and invite a full paper for a special issue. It promised peer review within 72 hours and showed an impact factor of 5.8 and a Scopus indexed badge.

Instead of clicking the link, she checked the journal herself:

• The title and ISSN did not appear in the Scopus source list or the Web of Science Master Journal List
• On the ISSN Portal, the ISSN belonged to a different, unrelated title
• The impact factor came from an unfamiliar global index, not Journal Citation Reports
• The journal was not listed in DOAJ, even though it described itself as open access
• An editorial board member from a Chennai institute replied that he had never agreed to be listed
• The APC was disclosed only after acceptance

She deleted the email, informed her supervisor, and shortlisted three journals in her field directly from the Scopus and Web of Science lists. She also confirmed her university's current publication requirements with the research office.

Common mistakes

• Trusting a journal because a senior colleague once published there
• Judging a journal by a professional-looking website
• Accepting indexing claims without checking the database yourself
• Assuming every open-access journal with a fee is predatory, or that a high fee means quality
• Checking once and never again, even though titles can be removed from indexes
• Paying the APC before confirming the journal's status
• Signing a copyright transfer before you have verified the journal

Key takeaway: Never let an email choose your journal. Find candidate journals yourself, verify indexing, metrics, fees and editorial boards at the original source, and confirm your institution's current requirements before you submit or pay.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a predatory journal?

A predatory journal is a publication that charges authors fees while providing little or no genuine peer review, editorial oversight, indexing or long-term archiving. It typically uses spam invitations, promises rapid acceptance and makes false claims about metrics or indexing. Universities, funders and employers may not recognise work published there.

How can I check if a journal is Scopus indexed?

Go directly to the Scopus source list or the Scopus Sources search rather than trusting a badge on the journal's website. Search by both title and ISSN, and confirm that coverage is current, because Scopus can discontinue titles. Submit only through the website linked from the official record, to avoid hijacked clones.

Is every open-access journal that charges a fee predatory?

No. Many respected open-access journals charge an article processing charge to cover peer review, production and hosting. What separates them from predatory journals is transparency and real editorial practice: fees published upfront, rigorous peer review, a genuine editorial board and verifiable indexing.

Is the UGC-CARE list still used?

The UGC-CARE list was created to guide Indian researchers, but the UGC's approach to journal listing has changed since it was introduced. Check its current status on the official UGC website and ask your university's research office which criteria apply to PhD submission, appointments and promotion.

What should I do if I have already published in a predatory journal?

Speak to your supervisor or research office first. You can write to the journal requesting withdrawal, but such journals often ignore requests or demand fees. Do not submit the same work elsewhere until you have written confirmation of withdrawal, because duplicate publication is itself a breach of research ethics.

Next steps

Choosing the right journal is one part of publishing well. The Scientific Writing & Research Methodology course, offered online by Innoryx to learners in India and the GCC, is a structured way to build your research and publication skills.

Next, read How to write a research paper using IMRaD and ALCOA data integrity explained. Want help choosing a course? Speak to a counsellor.