Predatory Publishing

When it comes to making a decision about where to publish academic research, prospective authors need to exercise good judgment and carefully scrutinize any and all scholarly publications. The following list of red flags to consider is by no means exhaustive and only serves to highlight what authors need to be looking for when it's time to submit manuscripts. Please contact the librarians at Palo Alto University if you have additional questions regarding the behaviors of predatory publishers.

• The journal's scope and mission statement are ambiguous or entirely absent from its website.
• Editorial board's contact information is missing or the e-mail addresses are non-professional and not affiliated with the journal in question. 
• Journal impact factors: Some predatory publishers will cite impact factors that do not exist, such as the Global Impact Factor (GIF), Universal Impact Factor (UIF), Citefactor, or the Index Copernicus Value. 
• The fees for publication are not clearly stated and the journal charges excessively; predatory publishers will generally hide their fees until a manuscript is submitted. 
• The peer-review process is extremely short and there is no explanation regarding the publication process.
• There is no ISSN associated with the journal. 
• The journal claims to be indexed in reputable abstracting or indexing services or databases such as MEDLINE, PsycInfo, Web of Science, but cannot be located.
• The journal sends out unsolicited emails for reviewers, submissions, or for individuals to serve on its editorial board. 

The following are considered green flags that indicate a journal or publisher is not predatory:

• Articles have DOIs.
• Fees or charges for publishing in the journal are easily located on the journal's web site and clearly explained with no ambiguity. 
• The journal is indexed in a legitimate indexing or abstracting service/database, such as PsycInfo, Web of Science, MEDLINE, PubMed, Google Scholar, etc. 
• The journal is listed with DOAJ.
• The publisher has a membership with COPE, ICMJE, or OASPA. 
• Articles published in the journal are in alignment with its scope and respective discipline. 
• Scope of the journal is clear.
• The journal is affiliated or sponsored by an academic institution or scholarly society (for example: the Asian American Journal of Psychology through the American Psychological Association).