Open Access journals are different to predatory journals that may be open access. Open Access journals may solicit authors to publish for a fee, but maintain high standards for peer review and editing. The goal of Open Access publishing is to disseminate research to a larger audience by removing paywalls. Open Access journals can have Impact Factors and can create an early citation advantage for authors. Reputable open access journals can apply to be listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals after the first year of publication and are carefully vetted before being accepted into the directory.
Is the journal open access? Search the Directory of Open Access Journals. Be sure to limit your search to Journals only. Has the journal been identified by others as predatory? Google your journal title with the word predatory. You may be able to easily find news stories about the journal and it's predatory practices. Does the journal have an Impact Factor or do they list one on their website? If a journal is claiming to have an Impact Factor, be sure to confirm this through the Journal Citation Reports database. Only journals vetted through the JCR can officially state that they have an Impact Factor. Many predatory journals will make up an impact factor in an attempt to appear reputable.
Predatory journals is a phase used to describe unscrupulous or fake journals which usually do not involve a peer review process. Articles get published quickly, too quickly. They tend to solicit manuscripts through repeated email invitations. They will claim to be open access, offering rapid peer review and praising potential authors as experts or opinion leaders. Predatory Journals take advantage of authors by asking them to publish for a fee without providing peer-review or editing services. Please see the Nature (Journal ) Comment on predatory journals. Here a number of academics came together to try to define what constitutes a predatory journal. The agreed definition was “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.”
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List of Journals indexed by Scopus