If you are looking to publish a scholarly article, the following checklist can help you in assessing the legitimacy of a journal. Though not a comprehensive checklist this tool provides items to consider that will hopefully guide you as you look to publish.
Items to Consider |
Resources to Check In |
Red Flags |
|---|---|---|
| Does the journal provide a legitimate ISSN? | Fake ISSN or the ISSN belongs to a completely different journal | |
| Does the journal provide a legitimate impact factor? |
|
The impact factor is from neither JCR, CiteScore, or Google Scholar Metrics |
| Does the publisher practice an ethical code of conduct or is a member of an industry association, especially if open access? |
|
No statement of any kind regarding publishing ethics or ethical code of conduct |
| Is the journal indexed in one or more major databases? | Claims indexing but cannot be verified | |
| What is the average timeline for publication? |
|
Should never be less than a month |
| Is the editorial board, or editors, listed with their full names and institutional affiliation? |
|
There is no editorial board or editors listed |
| Are the editors known in their fields? | The editor is listed on multiple journals in different fields or the editors' CV does not list affiliation with that journal | |
| Does the content on the publishers website seem original and not plagiarized? | The text is copied verbatim from another publisher's website | |
| Is it clear what fees will be charged? |
|
Publisher requires payment prior to acceptance |
| Does the journal clearly describe its copyright and licensing information? |
|
Copyright and licensing information is not found on the journal's website or on any published articles |
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