Use Think. Check. Submit. It is an easy-to-use tool to help you identify trustworthy publication venues for your research. It provides a simple checklist to help you assess the credentials of a journal or publisher.
Some helpful tips and questions to consider:
- Look for publishers full and verifiable contact information, including address on the journal site. Be cautious if only a web contact form is provided
- Does the editorial board list recognized experts with full affiliations? Ask them about their experiences with the journal or publisher
- Check that the journal prominently displays its policy for author fees
- Be wary of email invitations to submit to journals or become editorial board members
- Read some of the journal's published articles and assess their quality. Contact past authors to ask about their experience
- Check that the journal's peer review process is clearly described and try to confirm that a claimed impact factor is correct
- Is the journal a member of an industry association such as Directory of Open Access Journals, or the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association? (doaj.org; oaspa.org)