Caution Regarding Predatory Journals
Some open access journals have no academic credibility. This is because they only aim to revenue from the article submission charge (APC) and do not conduct proper peer review. They are called "Predatory Journals" and have become a major problem.
If you submit an article to Predatory Journals, it will undermine your research results and credibility, and will have a negative impact on your career in the future. Please choose your submissions carefully.
Check Before Submission & Peer Review
Ask Other Researchers
Ask researchers in the same or similar fields about the journal's reputation and whether involvement with the journal would be beneficial to your research career.
Are there any comments about the journal's quality on social networking sites?
See the Official Website
Google the journal's official website yourself and check it.
Do NOT use a link in invitation email.
Is the period of the peer review too short? Is there anything suspicious about the website logo, such as poor image resolution or a distorted layout?
The website called SciRev enables users to check the total peer review times for individual journals It can be used to get an overall impression of current peer review times.
Reference: The average peer review periods
| Total | First response time | |
| All | 17 weeks | 13 weeks |
| Natural Sciences | 14 weeks | 11 weeks |
| Humanities | 22 weeks | 16 weeks |
Huisman, J., Smits, J. Duration and quality of the peer review process: the author's perspective. Scientometrics113, 633–650 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-017-2310-5 Processed Table 1 and 2.
Read Previous Articles
Read previous articles published in the journal.
Do they match the scope of coverage stated on the official website?
Does the quality of the articles indicate a journal worthy of publishing your own research?
Check the Editor's Profile
Are the editors listed on the official website researchers that you have heard of, or researchers in the field that you want to contribute to?
Does the editor's own official website (e.g. the website of their university) clearly state that he/she is an editor of the journal?
FYI:
- - Leaflets: "Beware of Predatory Journals" (Kyoto University Library Network, January. 2025.)
- - Jeffrey Beall. "What I learned from predatory publishers" (Japanese Ver. by Kyoto University Library)
Inquiry Form
If you have the slightest doubt about the journal to which you are submitting your paper, it is not suitable one. Please choose a more appropriate journal.
If you have difficulty in making a decision, please contact us using the inquiry form below.
We are also collecting information about Predatory Journals.
If you have any information about such a journal, please let us know using the same form.
※Only Kyoto University members can use this form.
https://www.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp/form/1380548?lang=en
