Journal Preliminary Criteria
Verify whether a journal is authentic, cloned, predatory or fake using the following points:
Journal Title - Ensure the journal's title is unique, accurately represented, and not deceptively similar to well-established or reputed journals.
- Cross-check the title in official databases like ISSN Portal to verify authenticity.
- Avoid journals with misleading, cloned, or predatory names designed to imitate reputable publications.
- Confirm that the title remains consistent across the journal’s website, ISSN records, and indexing databases.
ISSN Number (Print and/or online) – Verify the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) through official sources to ensure authenticity.
- Check the ISSN in the official ISSN Portal
- For Indian journals, verify through ISSN India (NSL-NIScPR)
- Ensure the ISSN is valid, matches the journal title, and is consistently used across its website and indexing databases.
- Be cautious of fake or cloned ISSNs - always cross-check with official registries.
Periodicity & Issue Frequency – Verify that the journal follows a consistent and transparent publication schedule as claimed.
- Check if the journal adheres to its stated frequency (e.g., monthly, quarterly, biannual, or annual).
- Ensure past issues are published on time and accessible in the journal’s archives.
- Cross-check issue dates on indexing platforms like google scholar, Academia, SSRN and others to detect inconsistencies.
- Be cautious of journals that claim high-frequency publishing (e.g., daily or weekly) without a robust peer-review process, as this may indicate predatory practices.
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Publisher Authenticity & Contact Details – Ensure the publisher is legitimate, transparent, and verifiable.
- Verify the publisher’s name, address, and official contact details on the journal’s website.
- Cross-check the publisher’s details in recognized directories like DOAJ, Scopus, Web of Science, or ISSN Portal.
- Ensure the publisher has a valid business registration with current bank account and is not linked to predatory publishing practices.
- Look for a professional email domain (e.g., publisher@journalname.org) instead of generic email services (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo).
- Be cautious of publishers that do not disclose physical addresses, use misleading names, or provide incomplete contact details.
Transparent Peer Review Policy – Ensure the journal has a clear, well-defined, and publicly available peer-review policy to maintain research integrity.
Website on a Certified Domain – Ensure the journal operates on a secure, professionally managed, and verifiable domain.
- The domain should be official, custom (e.g., .org, .edu, or .com), and not a free or subdomain (e.g., journal.freehost.com).
- Check for SSL security (HTTPS) to ensure data protection and authenticity.
- Verify the domain’s registration details using WHOIS lookup to confirm ownership and legitimacy.
- Avoid journals hosted on unstable, temporary, or suspicious domains, as they may indicate fraudulent or predatory practices.
Open Access or Subscription Based Policy – The journal should clearly define its access model and associated fees on its website.
- Specify whether the journal follows an Open Access (free to read) or Subscription-Based (paid access) model.
- Clearly disclose any publication fees (Article Processing Charges - APCs) or subscription costs, if applicable.
- Ensure transparency regarding author rights, copyright policies, and licensing (e.g., Creative Commons for Open Access journals).
- Be cautious of journals that do not mention fees upfront or demand unexpected charges after manuscript acceptance.
Plagiarism Checking & Proper Tools – The journal must ensure rigorous plagiarism detection using reputable tools and provide a detailed plagiarism report to authors.
- The journal should use recognized plagiarism detection tools such as Turnitin, iThenticate, Grammarly, or Plagscan.
- Clearly define the acceptable similarity index (e.g., less than 10-15% excluding references and common phrases).
- The plagiarism check should cover self-plagiarism, text recycling, and duplicate submissions.
- Authors should receive a plagiarism report before publication for transparency.
- Be cautious of journals that do not disclose their plagiarism-checking process or rely on unverified tools.
Editorial Board & Reviewer Details – Verify that the editorial board members and reviewers are credible with verifiable institutional affiliations and professional experience.
- The journal should provide detailed profiles of editors and reviewers, including their:
- Full name
- Institutional affiliation
- Work experience
- Research expertise
- Verified academic or professional credentials
- Example profile format: Scholar9 Profile
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Journals that do not disclose editorial and reviewer details or provide vague/incomplete information should be approached with caution.
Integration with National/International Repositories – Ensure the journal is indexed in recognized national and international repositories for credibility and long-term accessibility.
- Verify inclusion in ONOS or similar platforms that support open scholarly communication.
- Check for indexing in institutional repositories, government databases, or digital archives such as DOAJ, CORE, PubMed, or arXiv.
- The journal should provide permanent access to published articles through these repositories.
- Be cautious of journals that claim repository integration without verifiable links or indexing proofs.
Archival Policy – Ensure that the journal has a clear, well-defined archival policy to preserve and provide long-term access to past issues.
- Verify if past issues are systematically archived and accessible on the journal’s website.
- Check for integration with trusted digital preservation services such as LOCKSS, CLOCKSS, Portico, or institutional repositories.
- Ensure that the journal assigns DOIs and maintains proper metadata for archived articles.
- Be cautious of journals that do not provide access to past issues or lack a formal archiving strategy, as this may indicate instability or a lack of credibility.
Fee Transparency – The journal should clearly disclose all publication fees upfront, with no hidden or unexpected charges.
- Article Processing Charges (APCs), submission fees, and any additional costs.
- Whether there are waivers or discounts for authors from specific regions or institutions.
- Any extra fees for services like fast-track review, colour printing, or open-access licensing.
- Ensure that the fees are reasonable and aligned with industry standards.
- Be cautious of journals that demand unexpected payments after manuscript acceptance or do not provide a clear fee structure on their website.
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Indexing & Recognition – Verify if the journal is indexed in reputable open-access and academic databases, ensuring wider visibility and credibility.
- Check for indexing in Google Scholar, Academia.edu, SSRN, ResearchGate, and similar platforms.
- Higher credibility is indicated if the journal is listed in DOAJ, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, or IEEE Xplore.
- Ensure that the indexing claims are genuine and verifiable through official sources.
- Be cautious of journals that falsely claim indexing in reputed databases without valid links or proofs.
DOI & Digital Preservation – Ensure that all published articles are assigned Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) from recognized agencies such as Crossref or DOI.org for authenticity and traceability.
- DOI Verification: Check if the journal issues valid DOIs that are registered and resolvable via official DOI directories.
- Long-Term Archiving: Ensure the journal follows a proper digital preservation strategy, such as archiving with LOCKSS, CLOCKSS, Portico, or institutional repositories.
- Permanent Accessibility: Articles should remain accessible even if the journal ceases operations or changes platforms.
Journals without a proper DOI system or long-term preservation plan should be carefully evaluated before submission.
Impact Factor – Verify the journal’s Impact Factor, if applicable
- Ensure that the Impact Factor is genuine and not self-claimed or from predatory metrics.
- Cross-check with official databases like H-index of google scholar for open access journal.
- Be cautious of journals displaying fake or misleading impact factors from unrecognized sources.
A legitimate impact factor indicates the journal's citation influence and research quality within its field.
Ethical Publishing Standards
- The journal should follow ethical guidelines from organizations like:
- Ensure policies on authorship criteria, conflicts of interest, and research misconduct are clearly defined.
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