How to check if a journal is predatory — Beall's List guide
Short answer
Beall's List catalogs potentially predatory journals and publishers. While the original was taken offline in 2017, updated mirrors are maintained by the community. To check a journal: search Beall's List mirrors, verify DOAJ listing, check the journal in Scopus/Web of Science, and use the Think Check Submit checklist. LancetClaw helps organize those checks into one workflow.
Execution Steps
- 1Search Beall's List mirrors (beallslist.net or similar community-maintained copies).
- 2If listed, the journal is potentially predatory — proceed with extreme caution.
- 3If not listed, check DOAJ, Scopus, and Web of Science indexing.
- 4Apply the Think Check Submit checklist (thinkchecksubmit.org).
- 5Use LancetClaw predatory journal checker for automated assessment.
Prompt Template
Is [journal name / ISSN] listed on Beall's List? Also check DOAJ status, Scopus indexing, and any red flags for predatory publishing.
Common Failure Points
- Relying only on Beall's List (it is not comprehensive and may have false positives)
- Assuming DOAJ listing guarantees quality (journals have been removed from DOAJ)
- Not checking publisher-level listings (a predatory publisher may have many journal titles)
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