Think. Check. Submit. — choosing a trusted journal
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Think. Check. Submit. is a cross-sector campaign that gives researchers a checklist for choosing a credible journal or publisher. It is led by representatives of ALPSP, AUP, COPE, DOAJ, ISSN, LIBER, OAPEN, OASPA, STM and UKSG. Use it before you send a manuscript, and again if an unknown journal invites you to submit.
The checklist
The campaign's checklist for journals, paraphrased, asks:
- Do you or your colleagues know the journal? Have you read articles from it, can you find its latest papers, is its name distinct from other journals, and can you verify it in the ISSN portal?
- Is the publisher's name clearly shown, and can you contact it by phone, email and post?
- Does the journal explain its peer review process, including whether external reviewers are used and how many review each paper? Does it avoid guaranteeing acceptance or promising very quick review?
- Will your article be indexed in a discoverable database? Does the publisher preserve content over the long term and use persistent identifiers?
- Are fees explained: what they cover, when they apply, the currency and amounts, and whether waivers exist?
- Is there a clear licensing policy; can you keep copyright and share your work in a repository; is there a conflict-of-interest policy?
- Is the publisher a COPE member that follows its guidelines; is an open access journal listed in DOAJ; is a publisher offering open access an OASPA member; is the journal on a relevant regional platform such as SciELO?
The decision rule on the checklist page is to submit only if you can answer yes to most or all of the questions. The same organisation also provides a separate checklist for books and chapters.
Warning signs of predatory journals
WAME defines predatory or pseudo-journals as those that charge authors fees while skipping or minimising genuine peer review, and says that no single test is definitive. It lists signs to look for:
- Editors or board members who are unidentified, unqualified, unaware of being listed, or listed on several journals.
- Hidden or surprise fees, and weak digital preservation.
- No clear contact information or location of the headquarters.
- False claims about impact factors or indexing, and misleading journal names, including names that resemble established journals.
- Unclear peer review or fee information, and implausibly fast review and publication.
- Formulaic or flattering solicitations by email, unresponsive editors, and very broad or oddly combined subject areas.
- Minimal copyediting and boastful self-descriptions.
WAME advises weighing the evidence: the more warning signs, the greater the caution.
Open access journals outside the big indexes: an honest view
Not being in the largest international indexes does not make a journal bad, and being in one does not make it perfect. WAME says that appearing on Beall's former list is not sufficient evidence of predatory practice, that absence from DOAJ does not prove a journal is illegitimate, and that features such as low fees or limited indexing can be legitimate in low- and middle-income countries, so context matters. DOAJ's own description is of an index of quality peer-reviewed open access journals, with published inclusion criteria; it does not claim to cover every good journal.
The checklist itself recognises regional platforms, mentioning INASP Journals Online, African Journals Online, SciELO, Latindex and Redalyc as examples. Judge a smaller or newer journal on openness: Can you find the editors, the policies, the fees and the archive? Does it state its indexing honestly? A journal that is honest about being new, and clear about its process, is a better choice than one that makes bold claims.
Where to check this journal's records
This guide cannot state what any journal's records show; check them yourself at the source:
- The journal's own pages: editorial board, peer review process, fees and licence, ethics and publisher information.
- The ISSN portal, to verify the journal's ISSN and title.
- DOAJ, to see whether the journal is listed, and the journal's DOAJ record if it is.
- The index or database itself, if the journal claims to be in it. Search for the journal's title or ISSN there, not on the journal's own site.
- COPE and OASPA member lists, to confirm any membership claim.
If a claim cannot be confirmed at the source, treat it as unverified, and ask the journal for evidence.