Predatory journal

The business model is extraction. Authors pay an article processing charge and receive rapid publication with minimal scrutiny, sometimes within days. Hallmarks include aggressive email solicitation, fake or inflated impact metrics, editorial boards listing scholars who never agreed to serve, misleading names that mimic reputable titles, and no real archiving or indexing.

The harm runs both ways. Unvetted and sometimes fraudulent findings enter the literature, and honest researchers who publish in these venues, often early-career or under pressure to produce, see their real work discredited by association. Tools such as the DOAJ whitelist, Think Check Submit, and institutional guidance help distinguish legitimate open-access journals from predatory ones.

Warning signs a reviewer or author can check quickly include whether the journal is indexed in Scopus or Web of Science, whether its peer-review process is described concretely, whether the fees are transparent, and whether the editorial board is real and reachable.