Don’t let your eagerness to publish allow you to be fooled by scam (often called “predatory”) journals — i.e., shady publishing outlets that present themselves as peer-reviewed journals but don’t actually perform peer review on submitted manuscripts, and often engage in other forms of deceit as well.

These scam journals exist for the sole purpose of profit, and their modus operandi is spamming academics with flattering invitations and promises of fast turnaround times; accepting all submissions without real review; and charging author-facing publication fees, often called “article processing charges” (APCs), that far exceed the cost of running their shoestring operations.

To protect yourself, inform yourself:

• Investigate any journal that’s unfamiliar to you.
• Evaluate the quality of the articles it has published.
• Investigate its editors’ affiliations, peer review process, fees, and policies.
• Transparency is paramount: Be suspicious of any publication that is not transparent and honest on these matters.

For help evaluating a journal, consult the website Think Check Submit. (Note: Think Check Submit also includes guidance for evaluating book publishers, and Think Check Attend can help you evaluate conferences.)

Of course, not all low-quality journal publishers are scams. Some intend to deceive website visitors and defraud authors. Others are honest but amateurish, either unaware of best practices or unable to adhere to them. Still, you owe it to yourself to evaluate any journal you’re thinking of publishing in.