Journals
- Search for the journal in Norwegian Register for Scientific Journals ("Kanalregisteret"). The journals listed have been quality assured by an academic committee and journals should be approved as level one or two. Note, it is possible to nominate titles for review.
- Search for the journal in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). The journals listed have been quality assured by members of the DOAJ editorial board.
- Check with colleagues to see if they have published in the journal, or if they read it regularly.
- See the website Think. Check. Submit. for more comprehensive information.
- Many predatory publishers are very active in contacting researchers with offers and invitations to publish. If you receive flattering and perhaps ongoing e-mails, and you are also promised a quick peer review, there is reason to think twice.
- Do a Google search for the title of the journal plus the term "predatory". Other people often write about their experiences with the journal.
Conferences
- Check with colleagues to see if they have attended the conference in question.
- Many questionable conferences are very active in contacting researchers with invitations to attend and present.
- Predatory Conferences: an overview of what characterizes conferences you should avoid. The overview has been compiled by the Open Science Support Centre, Charles University.
- Do a Google search for the conference title, organizer etc. Other people often write about their experiences with scam conferences.
Have you had a bad experience with a journal?
This is an overview of what you can do if you have experienced reprehensible issues in the process of submitting, peer reviewing or publishing an article.
Contact the editor/editorial members
In each case, the incidents and severity of the incidents must be considered. Sometimes the incident can be resolved by sending an e-mail to the editor, editorial team or to the publisher.
Is the journal listed as an approved publishing channel?
If the journal is indexed at Level 1 or 2 in the Norwegian register for scientific journals ("Kanalregisteret"), you can contact NSD by email with information about your experiences with the journal.
Is the journal open access and registered in DOAJ?
Directory of Open Access journals (DOAJ) is a service that indexes Open Access journals. In order for the journal to be indexed with DOAJ, there are a number of criteria that must be in place including: requirements for composition of editorial boards and completion of peer reviews. If the relevant journal is listed in DOAJ, you can contact DOAJ via a web form.
More resources:
COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) - Resource page on publishing ethics and guides.
Any questions?
Send an email to: duo-hjelp@ub.uio.no