Predatory publishers can be very sophisticated in luring researchers to publish with them, but there are certain steps you can take to help you avoid them.
First and foremost, be skeptical of EVERY unsolicited request to publish in a journal or participate in a conference. Spam emails are the primary means by which the publishers get submissions. Spam emails are effective because so many predatory publishers copy the names of legitimate journals or conferences with only the most subtle differences, making it appear that the email is coming from a highly respected publication or organization. Also, because these are spam emails, you will often get requests from journals or conferences far outside your areas of research, which should be a big red flag. For example, you may receive emailed requests “as a highly respected researcher in your field” to publish in journals in such disparate topics as cellular biology, social history, polar research, anthropology, and nuclear engineering, even if you have no background in any of those topics.
Check with other trusted sources. Ask colleagues if they know of the journal. Look up the journal in a trusted database, like Web of Science or PsychInfo, to see if it’s included in their indexing. There are also various lists of suspected predatory journals online that can be consulted. The URLs of these sites are subject to change due to lawsuits initiated by some of the publishers that are listed, so it’s best to do an online search each time rather than bookmark the pages.
The library also provides the following guides:
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