When evaluating journals, go to the website of the publisher and the journal, and evaluate the following characteristics. Keep in mind that this is a balancing act. Some legitimate journals may exhibit predatory behaviors, so you must take all of this information into account when making your determination.
- Clear and transparent information is provided on the following
- Manuscript submission process.
- Standards for accepting manuscripts.
- Peer review and editing process, including the members of the editorial board.
- Scope of the journal/intended audience in narrowed to one discipline. Beware of "megajournals" that cover multiple disciplines; however, remember that there are high quality journals with a broad scope of topics such as PLOS One, BMJ Open, and Scientific Reports.
- Contact information. In addition to the contact information being clearly presented to potential authors, make sure the email address is associated with a professional group, organization, or business and that it is not a personal email address.
- Any author fees. Some legitimate journals do charge authors to publish some items open access; these fees should be clearly presented to potential authors.
- Copyright policies.
- Retraction policies.
- Timeline for publication - If a journal publishes your article instantly after it has been received (or instantly after you have paid your fee), it may not be engaging in rigorous peer review of the articles is accepts.
- Is the journal publisher a member of a group committed to publication ethics? i.e. Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), International Association of Scientific, Technical, & Medical Publishers (STM), Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), European Association of Science Editors (EASE)
- General website characteristics
- The site has a professional design and layout.
- Links work. Also, be sure to check citation links in the articles. You should find links that take you outside of the website rather than links that continue to keep you withing the same website.
- Grammar and punctuation are correct, and the writing is professional.
- Go outside of the journal or publisher website to find information.
- Google the name of the publisher and the journal to see reviews and other information is out there about them.
- Google the name of authors who have published in the journal to learn about their reputations and affiliations.
- Check to see if the journal indexed in an established database such as PubMedCentral, Scopus, Web of Science, or Directory of Open Access Journals
- Check journal lists and other evaluation tools.
If you still have questions about the journal or publisher's credibility, consult a librarian to help you find and evaluate information. You can also reach out to the journal's editorial board. Remember that ultimately, the decision is up to you whether you want to publish in a certain journal. Trust your instincts and your evaluation. If it doesn't feel right, you can always look for another journal or publisher.
