Scholarly Communication

The term 'predatory publisher' is generally applied to publishers that charge authors substantial fees to publish their research but do not provide quality services (e.g. peer-review, editing, and marketing). These publishers will often send unsolicited emails to authors inviting them to submit a publication to their journal or conference. Predatory publishers usually have poor-quality peer-review processes (or no process at all), low editorial standards, and are usually not indexed in scholarly databases.

Here are a few signs of a predatory publisher to watch out for:

• Unsolicited emails: predatory publishers will often send flattering emails to authors asking them to contribute to a journal or conference.
• Strange titles: Journal or conference titles may sounds similar to legitimate publications, or may use vague terms.
• Unprofessional websites: Predatory publishers often don't include all the information you would expect to see on a publisher's website.
• Indexing: Their journals will usually not be indexed in major databases, like Scopus or Web of Science. Journals often have no metrics available, or metrics that are false.
• Peer review: The peer-review process may not be explained to authors, and is often very quick or there may be no review process at all.
• Publishing fees: Predatory publishers sometimes charge extremely high publication fees and are usually not transparent about their fees or policies.

If you are not sure if a publisher is predatory or not, consult the resources below for further information on how to assess journals, conferences, and book publishers.

It's always important to check the credentials of the publisher before you submit your work to a journal. The resources listed below provide detailed information on how to assess a publisher and verify their credentials. Here are a few quick things to check if you think you may be dealing with a predatory publisher:

• Are they indexed in scholarly databases? Check popular databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, or Proquest to see if the journal is indexed. Predatory journals will usually not appear in scholarly databases.
• Does the journal appear in the DOAJ? If the journal appears in the DOAJ, it's more likely that it is a legitimate open access journal.
• Who is the editor and who is on the editorial board? The journal should be transparent about the membership of their editorial board, and the members of the board should be established and reputable.
• Are their contact details publicly available? Their contact details should be publicly available and should include an address for their offices.
• Are they transparent about their publishing costs? A legitimate open access journal will be transparent about their publishing charges. If there is no information publicly available about these costs, you may be dealing with a predatory publisher.
• Check the lists of predatory publishers from Beall's List  and Stop Predatory Journals: If a journal or publishers is included in either of these lists, it's more likely that they may be a predatory publisher

The Think. Check. Submit. checklist is a useful tool for assessing journal publishers:

Predatory conferences are usually set up by for-profit companies with the intention of collecting fees. These conferences are usually poorly organised and lack proper peer-review processes.

If you are uncertain about a conference, here are some things to check before deciding to attend:

• Is it hosted by a well-known and reputable organisation?
• Is it an annual event or a one-off? Predatory conferences are more likely to be one-off events.
• Is there a peer-review process in place for submissions?
• Have you heard of any of the Keynote speakers?
• Is there clear information available about where the conference proceedings will be published?

Consult the Think.Check.Attend. Checklist for some further questions to consider when assessing whether a conference is legitimate:

Predatory book publishers, sometimes known as vanity publishers, operate in a similar way to predatory journal publishers. They will often contact authors by email to solicit submissions for publication. These publishers often reach out to research degree students inviting them to publish their thesis as a book.

Here are a few things to check before you choose a publisher:

• Who is the editor? The best publishers have reputable commissioning editors and go through numerous edits prior to publication​     
• What is the print run? ​The publisher should be able to give you information about the expected print run. Predatory publishers often operate a print-on-demand service instead of specifying a print run.     
• What is the promotional plan?​ How will the book be marketed?   
• How will the book be sold?​ Will it be sold by recognisable and reputable academic booksellers?
• Have you read anything from this publisher before? Ask your colleagues or your librarian​ if they are familiar with the publisher.