Search your topic

• Select a subject database and search some keywords for your topic. For suggestions on subject databases, consult a Library Research Guide
• Look for filters which allow you to see where the articles retrieved by your search have been published. These filters may be labelled as Source Titles, Publication, or related terms.

• Ulrichsweb.com
  Ulrichs is a database of more than 300,000 publications. Search your topic by keyword to find related journals; use the side filters to limit results to peer-reviewed publications that are indexed in subject databases.

• Directory of Open Access Journals:​ 19,500 OA journals, 13,000 without APCs​
  • Browse by topic/ Search by subject​
    • Filter by:​ Copyright, country, peer review, APCs, etc.

• Journal Citation Reports
  Select a disciplinary category to see a list of journals ranked according to citation data; provides Journal Impact Factor and Eigenfactor Score for journals.

Manuscript matchmakers

These tools will match your subject or abstract with relevant publications in their databases.

• Elsevier Journal Finder
  Paste your title and abstract to find a matching Elsevier journal. Can filter by open access.
• JANE – Journal/Author Name Estimator
  Paste your title and abstract or do a keyword search on your topic to find appropriate journals or article reviewers. Based on the MEDLINE database. Created by BioSemantics Group at Erasmus University Medical Centre.

• Manuscript Matcher
  Endnote users can try Manuscript Matcher, a tool that uses the title, abstract and references of your manuscript to connect it with content in Web of Science and “matches” it with relevant publications.

• B!SON

  Enter your title and abstract, or DOI or arXiv ID, and B!SON searches validated index from Directory of Open Access Journals to find relevant journals

• Springer Journal SuggesterPaste your title and text to find matching Springer/BioMed Central Journals.

Publish your work in an open-access, peer reviewed scholarly journal supported by Brock Library.

Aims and scope

Are they appropriate for your research? Is the scope of your research broad or specified? Does the journal appeal to those in your field?

Article content

Does the research seem credible? Read more about credibility in Guides for avoiding predatory publishers at the bottom of the page.

Editorial board

Are members known names in your field?

Peer review

Is the policy clearly stated?

Copyright for authors

How is it handled? Sometimes journals will have multiple copyright policies. Read carefully, and ask for clarification if needed.

Publication fees

Are they clearly explained?

Open Access policy

Is it clearly stated?

How is the journal disseminated? Is the journal indexed in databases relevant to your discipline?

E.g. if you are a nursing researcher, you may want to ensure your journal is indexed in a nursing database such as CINAHL or Proquest Nursing

Check for yourself as many dubious publications falsely claim to be indexed in prestigious subject databases.

Directory of Open Access Journals (doaj.org): DOAJ uses a quality-control process to ensure it lists legitimate open access publications

Location and contact information

Is it clearly stated?

Digital preservation

How will archives be preserved?

Guidelines

Does it follow the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines?
Does the publisher belong to OASPA – the Open Access Scholarly Publishers’ Association?

Beware of made-up metrics: Check the metrics listed by the journal are recognized and reputable.

Recommended Tools:

Impact Factor
Calculated by dividing the number of citations to a journal in one year by the total number of articles published in the two previous years; proprietary designation produced by Journal Citation Reports.

SCImago Journal and Country Rank
Uses Google Page Rank algorithm to indicate visibility of journals indexed in Scopus database.

Predatory publishing: definitions

“Predatory publishing generally refers to the systematic for-profit publication of purportedly scholarly content (in journals and articles, monographs, books, or conference proceedings) in a deceptive or fraudulent way and without any regard for quality assurance … these journals exist solely for profit without any commitment to publication ethics or integrity of any kind.” – COPE Council. COPE discussion document: Predatory publishing.

“Predatory journals and publishers are entities that prioritize self-interest at the expense of scholarship and are characterized by false or misleading information, deviation from best editorial and publication practices, a lack of transparency, and/or the use of aggressive and indiscriminate solicitation practices.” — Predatory journals: No definition, no defence.

Key signs of a predatory publisher/journal

• Aggressive solicitation – e.g. spam emails​
• Lack of clearly stated policies on:​
  • Peer review​
  • Article processing charges (APCs)​
  • Copyright​
  • Retractions/publication ethics​
• Fake impact metrics or falsely claiming to have legit metrics e.g. Impact Factor​
• False claims re database indexing

Additional red flags:

• “We take everything” – lack of subject-specific scope
• Unusually fast peer review process e.g. just a few days 
• Manuscript submission via email vs submission software
• Shoddy website design and/or spelling, grammar and punctuation errors on website
• No preservation plan for content
• Retains author copyright

Scope

• “…some 1.2 million researchers have published in predatory journals or participated in predatory conferences, equating to billions of dollars in wasted research budgets and hours of wasted time.” – International Science Council: Combating predatory journals and conferences through systemic change in scientific publishing​
• 150 predatory journals launched every month​
• More than 15,000 predatory publications – Cabell’s Predatory Reports​
• Advent of “mega-predatory” publishers, e.g. OMICS​

Top tips for avoiding predatory publications

1. Delete spam emails inviting you to publish
2. Use the Directory of Open Access Journals to select an OA publication​
   • Applies rigorous appraisal to all included journals​
   • Includes almost 18,000 peer-reviewed OA journals​ (12,000+ without APCs​)
   • Indexing in DOAJ recognized as a hallmark of legitimacy​

Avoid Beall’s list

• Subjective: based on opinion, not fact​
• Overly broad: would disqualify many subscription journals   ​
• Discriminatory:​ “…proponents of Beall’s ideologies to fight apparently predatory OA journals may be, intentionally or unintentionally, promoting a culture of    discrimination, bias and possibly even racism in academic publishing.” — Teixeira da Silva & Kimotho,  (2022)

Resources

• Two quick guides:
  • Spotting Deceptive Publishers – from the Brock Library
  • How to Assess a Journal – from the Canadian Association of Research Libraries
• Slides from Publish, Don’t Perish – Building Better Research Workshop

• Evaluating journals and publishers
• Understanding Predatory Publishers
• Discussion paper: Predatory Publishing – Committee on Publication Ethics
• Open Access Journal Quality Indicators
• Retraction Watch