Dear Frank T. Edelmann and Joshua O. Ighalo

One of the most important advantages of the Researchgate platform is the discussion between researchers leads to clear any issue that may be obscure.

Thank you both for these valuable contributions.

Regards

Dear Yasser Fakri Mustafa

I share with you the same fair. The journal or its publisher may be predatory. The name of the publisher is not the same on the journal website and Scopus or Scimago. I see the finding of a suitable journal is a big task and needed many efforts by the researcher.

Wishes

Dear Yasser Fakri Mustafa

Also, there is an another important concern. The name of the predatory journal may be very similar to that of robust one. The difference may be quite simple, such as: "and" replaced with "&", "Science" replaced with "Sciences", and so on.

Wishes

Dear Raeid Khalil

Thank you for you fast response. Also, I share the same opinion. It is a big challenge.

Regards

Dear Mohammed Emam

This is a good point. Thank you very much for your kind contribution.

Regards

I think that the differences between them are so difficult and it is not easily separable, initially. the attractions of them maybe tempting and seductive for researchers. Among them, the vision and mission and next to that the experience created made of the previous works/papers of a researcher could be effective and determinant.

Predatory journals publish papers on payment.

To check if the journal is predatory please request them to provide the review report and details of reviewers. If they can provide with sufficient comment then the journal may not be predatory.But if they fail, it's definitely yes.

However there are lot of journals which are open access. They perform all the formalities of a standard journal and request payment for open access and article processing charge. They should not be categorised as predatory.

A proper indexation is also a determinant of a good journal. In most cases predatory journal lacks proper indexation.

Unlike academic journals, predatory journals publish what you submit. Paying article processing and publication charges are only criteria.

Dear Hamid Reza Farhang

Thank you very much for your kind opinion and contribution.

Regards

Dear Dwaipayan Sinha

Thank you very much for your kind opinion and contribution.

Regards

Dear Arbind K. Choudhary

Thank you very much for your kind opinion and contribution.

Regards

Its difficult to differentiate from the journal name, hence it is advisable to check bealls list of predatory journals/publishers. You can also closely and carefully check the following;

1- Indexing

2- Names and reputability of authors

in the published articles/Archive

3- Article processing charges

4- Review and publication periods

5- Editors and list of reviewers

6- Valid web site of the journal

7- Several journals titles published by

single publisher.

Dear Isa Baba Koki

Thank you very much for your kind opinion and contribution.

Regards

Impact factor journals and science indexed journal shall be prefered

Dear Nazir A. Pala

Thank you very much for your kind opinion and contribution.

Regards

Yasser Fakri Mustafa not only to your institution "publishing in a journal that is predatory by itself or its publisher is a big mistake" but it is a big mistake in general. First of all one should check out Beall's list of predatory journals and publishers. A certain sign for predatory journals is that they send you e-mails "begging" for contributions.

Dear Frank T. Edelmann

Thank you for your valuable opinion and contribution.

Is there any relation between Beall's list of predatory journals and Scopus? Since I found many journal indexed in Scopus and also found in this list.

Regards

Dear Yasser Fakri Mustafa this is a very good question to which I have no answer. Actually, I never thought about this problem, but you are absolutely right asking this.

Dear Frank T. Edelmann

Thank you very much for your response.

Regards

Yasser Fakri Mustafa Predatory journals usually charge money and publish quickly by expediting review or without review

Dear Thiru Selvan

Thank you very much for your kind opinion and contribution.

Regards

Dear Yasser Fakri Mustafa ,

The most ‘acceptable’ or better most used list to determine whether a journal or its publisher behind it is potentially predatory or fake is:

https://beallslist.net/

https://beallslist.net/standalone-journals/

for the publishers and stand-alone journals, respectively.

Having said this, it has been argued on numerous occasions that the Beall’s list of potential predatory journals and publishers is far from flawless:

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_reliable_is_the_Bealls_List_of_predatory_journals

https://www.researchgate.net/post/is_Bells_list_of_predatory_journals_accurate_to_determine_predatory_journals

https://www.researchgate.net/post/New_versions_of_Bealls_list_to_check_for_Predatory_Publishers

Method Predatory journals and publishers: a menace to science and s...

Basically, checking the Beall’s list is step 1 in determining whether you are dealing with a fake or predatory journal. I recommend the following paper to get a good idea what you should do next:

Laine, C., & Winker, M. A. (2017). Identifying predatory or pseudo-journals. Biochemia medica: Biochemia medica, 27(2), 285-291.

Article Identifying Predatory or Pseudo-Journals

I think that this paper provides one of the best guidelines available at the moment.

Best regards.

PS. Your question “how about Scopus indexed journals that are included in the Beall’s list, see the following discussion:

https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_about_the_journal_s_listed_in_both_scopus_and_Bealls_list_Your_views_are_welcome

Dear Rob Keller

Thank you very much for your valuable contribution.

Regards

As above - seek money to publish without adhering to standards of peer review.

Dear Neil Dagnall

Thank you very much for your kind contribution.

Regards

We can look at the matric system , dont ever submit to the journal with matric value under 0.1 and 15%

Dear Januar arief Martharaharja

Thank you very much for your kind contribution.

Regards

Yasser Fakri Mustafa as soon as you receive an e-mail from a journal asking you to submit a manuscript in 2 weeks, it is clear that the e-mail come from a predatory journal.

Dear Frank T. Edelmann

This is an important note my Professor. Thank you very much for this note.

Regards

Dear Joshua O. Ighalo

Thank you very much for your opinion and contribution. But I not fully agree with you since there are many journal indexed in Scopus for example are reported as predatory journals.

Regards

Non-predatory journals never ask you to submit research articles via email. It is as simple as that. Hope you understand.

Joshua O. Ighalo I agree with Yasser Fakri Mustafa in that not only reputable journals are listed in Scopus but a number of predatory ones as well. Perhaps you should focus on those journals which you know well.

Joshua O. Ighalo that sounds like good plan. In the broad field of chemistry publishers like Wiley, Elsevier, Springer, the RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry) and ACS (American Chemicaö Society) are safe bets.

Dear Gourab Das

Thank you very much for your opinion and contribution. I received every day more than one email from indexed journals that are non-predatory.

Regards

Dear Frank T. Edelmann and Joshua O. Ighalo

One of the most important advantages of the Researchgate platform is the discussion between researchers leads to clear any issue that may be obscure.

Thank you both for these valuable contributions.

Regards

Joshua O. Ighalo yes, Taylor & Francis is also a reputable and reliable publisher. You can't do anything wrong with them. Last year we published a Review Article with Taylor & Francis (see citation below) and our experience with them was very good.

Article REVIEW: The multicolored coordination chemistry of violurate anions

If they accept the paper without peer review, they are predatory

If you receive acceptance email within 4 days of article submission, there is high possibility that they are predatory

If they request for payment of APC before submission, they are likely to be predatory

Normally, only predatory journals send e-mails asking for contributions on a short note. There are, howver, exceptions. As mentioned by Yasser Fakri Mustafa sometimes reputable journals send such e-mails e.g. when they plan special issues on a certain topic.

Dear Frank T. Edelmann

Also, I have a good experience with Taylor & Francis. The link for published article is below.

Article Evaluation of natural asphalt properties treated with egg sh...

Dear Joshua O. Ighalo

All the best

Dear Chinaza Godswill Awuchi

These are three important considerations. Thank you very much for your kind contributions.

Regards

Dear Frank T. Edelmann

Many respected journals may invite the researchers for a special issue. That's right.

Thank you my Professor for this note.

Regards

The university periodically publishes lists of predatory journals.

Isam Alkhalifawi that's very useful. Unfortunately our institution has not yet issued a list of predatory journals.

It is really become complex, Every year new issues , this journal in ,and that journal out, this good , this bad, etc.

The only thing we have to stay in update.

Dear Isam Alkhalifawi

Thank you very much for your contribution. Please, is the University of Baghdad published the list of predatory journals? Can you upload the last list of the predatory journals or provide it as an attached link?

Regards

Agree with Yasser Fakri Mustafa.

Dear AL Timimi Zahra

Thank you very much for your opinion, support, and contribution.

Regards

6 ways to spot a Predatory Journal:

Always check the website thoroughly. ...

Check if the journal is a member of DOAJ, COPE, OASPA or STM. ...

Check the journal's contact information. ...

Research the editorial board. ...

Take a look at their peer review process and publication timelines. ...

Read through past issues of the journal.

https://www.rxcomms.com/blog/6-ways-spot-predatory-journal/

The credibility of a journal may be assessed by examining several key factors:

Where is it indexed? Is the journal included or indexed in the major bibliographic databases for the field? ...

What is its publishing history? How long has the journal been available? ...

Is it peer-reviewed? ...

What is its impact factor?

http://health.library.emory.edu/writing-publishing/quality-indicators/journal-credibility.html

Check this definition of a predatory journal

"Predatory publishing, sometimes called write-only publishing or deceptive publishing, is an exploitive academic publishing business model that involves charging publication fees to authors without checking articles for quality and legitimacy and without providing the other editorial and publishing services that ..."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predatory_publishing

Predatory Journals take advantage of authors by asking them to publish for a fee without providing peer-review or editing services. Because predatory publishers do not follow the proper academic standards for publishing, they usually offer a quick turnaround on publishing a manuscript.

Those who publish in “predatory” journals are, for the most part, young and inexperienced researchers from developing countries. We believe that economic and sociocultural conditions in these developing countries have contributed to the differences found in authorship between “predatory” and “nonpredatory” journals.

Predatory journals has become a major problem in academic publishing. This is periodicals published by rogue publishers only to earn money. ... Lambert Academic Publishing is an example of a predatory publisher that frequently contact researchers and students.

Dear Chinaza Godswill Awuchi

Thank you very much for your valuable contributions.

Regards

Dear Sonia Morya

Thank you very much for your valuable contributions.

Regards

It's certainly tempting to send a manuscript to a predatory journal because everything seems so fast and easy, but in the and your valuable research is lost!

Dear Frank T. Edelmann

This situation becomes more complicated when the predatory journal has indexed in Scopus or WOS.

Yasser Fakri Mustafa yes, that's for sure! I think the best way to avoid publishing in fake journals is to go for established publishers such as Elsevier, Wiley, Springer, Francis & Taylor etc.

Dear Frank T. Edelmann

I fully agree with you my Professor. Thank you very much for your valuable and kind contribution.

Regards

Good question.

it is not difficult to differentiate between these two types of journals. For this, there are two rules to follow:

1. Don't pay to publish (avoid the journals with publishing charges)

2. Publish in journals indexed in Web of Sciences with impact factor or Scimago (from Q1 to Q4)

https://mjl.clarivate.com/home

https://www.scimagojr.com

Dear Ouaïl Ouchetto

I agree with you concerning the first point. But for the second one, I not agree with you since many predatory journals are indexed in Scimago. Thank you very much for your opinion and contribution.

Regards

Thank you dear Yasser Fakri Mustafa for your your view. I agree with you. But, I said to follow 1 and 2. But not 1 or 2. By combining 1 and 2 we eliminate the predatory journals which are indexed in Scimago. In general, predatory journals are paid.

Dear Ouaïl Ouchetto

Thank you for this explanation.

Regards

Dear Yasser Fakri Mustafa ,

Some seem to suggest that when journals ask a fee or article processing charges (APC’s) they should be avoided for being potentially predatory. However hereby you exclude a vast majority of open access journals (and publishers) working with costs authors are obliged to pay. Well-respected journals like PlosOne, Scientific Reports, Nature Communications, iScience and many more are certainly not predatory. Nowadays all reputed publishers introduced open access journals (including Elsevier, SpringerOpen, etc.) and there are publishers solely publishing open access journals (like PLoS https://plos.org/ and Frontiers https://www.frontiersin.org/ ) all legit and genuine.

So, conclusion should be: Paying a certain fee is not equal to predatory.

Best regards.

Dear Rob Keller

Your conclusion is absolutely right. Thank you for your valuable opinion and contribution.

Regards

Yasser Fakri Mustafa yet another typical characteristics of predatory journals is that they send you e-mail asking for contributions to a journal which has absolutely nothing to to with your area of research. See for example this e-mail message which I received today. Remember that we are doing inorganic chemistry, so what could we contribute to Psychology, Education and Behavioral health??

Dear Frank T. Edelmann

This is an important issue that may help with the differentiation between original and fake journals. Thank you so much Professor for this contribution.

Regards

very important question

Dear Sana Noreen

Thank you very much for your interest.

Regards

Yasser Fakri Mustafa unfortunately our institution has never issued a list of predatory journals and has never warned against them. Apparently they don't care about this problem.

Dear Frank T. Edelmann

I think your institution has ensured that its researchers will not publish their research in predatory journals.

Regards

Dear Omar H. Abdalla

This is a good advice. Thank you so much for your contribution.

Regards

Yasser Fakri Mustafa apparently our university doesn't care about publishing in predatory journals. It is left to ourselves to decide where to publish a manuscript.

To my opinion, the most important difference between academic and predatory journals relates to the rate at which articles get published. If one pays, articles may appear online within a week in predatory journals.

Arbind K. Choudhary yes, that's true, and it clearly demonstrates that most / all predatory journals have no peer-review system.

Dear Arbind K. Choudhary

This is one of the most important differences between academic and predatory journals. Thank you very much for your opinion and contribution.

Regards

Dear Frank T. Edelmann

Your statement is extremely precise, which is " most / all predatory journals have no peer-review system" because some predatory journals have a fake peer-reviewing system.

Regards

Yasser Fakri Mustafa thanks for the information. Does the Editor write fake reviews in such cases?

Dear Frank T. Edelmann

No. When the Editor sends the manuscript to low-ranked reviewers and ask to review it within 72 hours, this may regard as a fake peer-reviewing system. Also, the author may not respond to the comments of the reviewers and suddenly received the link to pay the publication fee since the manuscript is accepted

Regards

Predatory journals send you so many reviewer/editor/publication invitations. Proper journals never do that.

Predatory journals accept and publish articles within few days/weeks. Proper journals take months and sometimes years.

Predatory journals do not follow proper peer-review process and most of them accept manuscripts without sending any reviewer(s) reports to authors.

Dear Hassan Izzeddin Sarsak

I agree with you. Thank you so much for your valuable opinion and kind contribution.

Regards

Dear Dr. Yasser Fakri Mustafa thank you so much for this question, for me I am always checking these websites:

https://beallslist.weebly.com/

https://predatoryjournals.com/journals/

Dear Laith G. Shareef

Thank you so much for your valuable opinion and kind contribution.

Regards

Dear Yasser Fakri Mustafa I'm sure you are right in that there is a special fake peer-reviewing system!

Dear Frank T. Edelmann

Thank you so much for your valuable contribution.

Regards

I think from the impact factor, peer-reviewing system, recommendations of experienced researchers and professors.

Dear Hossien Eldeeb

Thank you very much for your kind opinion and contribution.

Regards

Dear Yasser Fakri Mustafa I just received the attached email from a predatory journal. This journal doesn't even have a title! And look at the address of the sender: "Maha D, Managing Editor, California, USA"

Dear Frank T. Edelmann

Thank you so much for sharing this expertise.

Regards