How to Identify a Predatory Journal: Criteria, Not a Name List
“Predatory journal” is not an official designation, and there is no authoritative name list to look a journal up in. What exists are CRITERIA: peer review, a real editorial board, fee transparency, truthful indexing claims, a plausible publication volume. So the right question is not “is this journal on a list?” but “which criteria does it fail?” This guide shows how to decide without condemning a journal on a single signal.
There is no name list — there are criteria
Do not wait for an official, binding list that labels a journal predatory. Individually maintained lists exist, but they are contested, they go stale, and they can sweep in journals unfairly. The criteria, by contrast, are clear: peer review, the reality of the editorial board, fee transparency, the truth of indexing claims, the plausibility of publication volume.
That is why Journal Check does not match names. It computes measurable signals and shows each one separately. No single signal is a verdict — several appearing together is what matters.
The signals that are measured, and what they mean
- The ISSN does not appear in the official ISSN Portal — a serious warning sign.
- Open access with an APC, but DOAJ coverage could not be verified.
- Withdrawn from DOAJ for “not adhering to best practice”.
- High APC despite weak impact indicators.
- Article volume increased more than threefold in recent years.
- Very high article volume but low average citations.
- A very young journal publishing an unusually high number of articles.
- An unusually high number of retracted articles relative to volume.
- A fake website impersonating the journal has been documented.
One signal is not a verdict
Each of these has innocent explanations. A jump in article volume can be editorial growth, a special issue, or a widened scope. A young journal publishing a lot can be explained by an institutional publisher taking over. An unverifiable DOAJ record can simply mean an application is in progress.
What you should weigh is the picture the signals form TOGETHER. When an unregistered ISSN, an APC, a missing DOAJ record and a volume spike all appear in the same journal, that is no longer a set of individually explainable facts.
Hijacked journals are a different problem
A hijacked journal is a fake publication copying a real, reputable journal's title, ISSN and site design. The author submits to the fake site, pays, and the article appears nowhere. Here the genuine journal is a victim too; the warning is not about its quality.
The most practical defence: never reach a journal through a search-result link. Go through the publisher's own domain, or resolve the DOI of one of its recent articles. A DOI always takes you to the real publisher.
A five-minute check before you submit
- 1. Verify the ISSN in the official ISSN Portal.
- 2. Resolve the DOI of an article from the latest issue — does it land on the same site?
- 3. Look up two names from the editorial board independently; do their institutions know of the journal?
- 4. Verify indexing claims (Scopus, WoS) separately against the official lists.
- 5. Get in writing when and for what the fee is charged; a fee before acceptance is unusual.
See the journal with its signals
ISSN registration, DOAJ status, volume and retraction signals, hijacked-journal warning. Open Journal Check →