The aim of this checklist is to assist you in avoiding publishing your work in a predatory or low quality journal. Being associated with a predatory publisher can lead to financial loss as a result of inappropriate fees, or be harmful to your reputation and that of your institution, even possibly impeding promotion and tenure.
While there is no single criterion that points to whether or not a publication is legitimate, consult the following checklist to identity some of the typical practices used by deceptive publishers.
Download Identifying Predatory Publishers Checklist
Télécharger Liste de vérification pour reconnaître les revues prédatrices
Predatory tactics are continually evolving and becoming more sophisticated
More recently, there have been reports of researchers finding their names attributed to articles they have never written. It is possible this is a predatory tactic that may be used to improve the image of a journal to appear legitimate. Here are some tips to consider:
- Set up a Google alert for your name to keep a watchful eye on if/when your name is being mentioned or attributed to content online
- Maintain an updated record of your scholarly output using tools like U of T's Discover Research, or ORICD etc.
- If you find your name being attributed to work you did not publish, contact the U of T VPRI’s Research Oversight and Compliance Office via research.integrity@utoronto.ca for guidance
Need further guidance or support?
- Talk to your supervisor and colleagues
- Consult your Liaison Librarian
- Email scholarly.communications@library.utoronto.ca
Other helpful resources to consult:
- Think. Check. Submit
- Think. Check. Attend (specifically developed for conferences)
- Ulrich's Web (This U of T licensed resource include detailed information on more than 300,000 periodicals)
- Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (COPE)
- Research Impact & Researcher Identity guide (The University of Toronto Libraries)
This checklist was created by the Division of the Vice President, Research and Innovation and the University of Toronto Libraries. The content of this webpage and checklist is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Last updated July 2024.