Table 2.
Criteria identified or suggested in the literature that can potentially be used to identify predatory journals
| Criteria | Description | References |
|---|---|---|
| Peer review | Only superficial or no peer review process is provided by the journal to ensure scientific quality of the submitted paper | 28 |
| Emails | Aggressive or flattering email invitations sent to a large number of individuals to attract paper submissions from scientists | 21 |
| Advertising | Rapid publication/rapid peer review processes are promised, and low submission fees are advertised | 32 |
| Publication fees | Publication fees are hidden or only disclosed after the paper has been accepted | 33 |
| Title and logo | The journal's title can be misleading, mimic, or even cloning titles from well‐known prestigious journals, or can sound too ambitious. Also, the journal's logo can resemble that of a reputable journal | 12, 35, 36 |
| Editors | Fake (non‐existing) editors or the names of well‐known authors without their approval may be added to the editorial boards | 31 |
| Metrics | False impact factors or ‘fake metrics’ are provided to attract paper submissions | 57 |
| Contact information | No valid contact information (email, telephone number, address) is provided, and there is no possibility to get in touch with the publisher. Non‐professional email addresses from public providers (e.g. Yahoo, Gmail) are commonly used | 37 |
| Scope | The journal's scope is too broad, covering almost all fields of science | 37 |
| Publishing ethics and standards | Research and publishing ethics are not followed; reviewing, editing and or indexing services are not provided | 16, 19 |
| Indexing | Predatory publishers claim to have their articles indexed, while they are, in fact, not indexed in any important databases such as MEDLINE, PubMed and Web of Science | 40 |
| Copy‐editing and spelling errors | Published articles are poorly copy‐edited and contain numerous typographical or grammatical errors. In addition, such errors can be found on the journal's website, which also commonly include dead links | 22 |
| Submission system | Predatory journals ask authors to send their manuscripts by email, instead through a professional manuscript submission system | 32 |