Open access: Find and evaluate publication channels

• DOAJ.org (Directory of Open Access Journals): an index of open access journals that meet specific quality criteria. Always verify that the journal is listed on DOAJ yourself. Some journals falsely claim to be indexed in DOAJ, see the DOAJ blog's compilation here.
• JUFO portal/Publication Forum (Julkaisufoorumi): the Finnish scholarly society's classification of publication channels. Learn more about the levels 0-3 here. Click on "Additional filters" and filter journals included in DOAJ or those allowing parallel publication (check the box Sherpa/Romeo).

• DOABooks.org (Directory of Open Access Books): open access book publishers.

Using metrics or various bibliometric measures is a way to assess the usage, dissemination, impact, or quality of journals.

Examples of bibliometric measures:

Jufo | Impact Factor | H-index | SNIP | Eigenfactor metrics | Journal Immediacy Index | SCImago Journal Rank (SRJ) | CiteScore 

It is important to be aware of the limitations of different types of metrics. The measures are not comprehensive for, e.g., relevance (a crucial factor in choosing a publication channel), they can be misleading, and they can be manipulated. Many of the measures cannot be applied to all journals: subject areas and journals in different languages may be poorly indexed in the databases that maintain the metrics, and it takes time (sometimes several years) before new journals are indexed.

Learn more:

• Hanken's Libguide on bibliometrics
• The metrics toolkit
• Guidelines for responsible use of the Publication Forum's classification of publication channels

Predatory publishers and journals (also known as vanity publishers/journals) are publication channels that operate unethically in the publishing process, exhibit poor quality, and exploit your work for financial gain. Publishing in predatory journals can lead to doubts about a researcher's professionalism and be a detriment to their academic career.

Predatory publishers and journals can be seen as the downside of open science, where freedom and openness attract actors engaging in unethical practices. There are also conference organizers and research metric services that operate according to similar unethical principles.

What characterizes predatory publishers and journals?

When assessing the reliability of journals, it's advisable to make judgments on a case-by-case basis rather than relying on ready-made lists of potential predatory journals and publishers. Blacklists are neither comprehensive nor objective. Some of them are also maintained by anonymous individuals. Therefore, predatoryreports.org, for example, should not be used.
 

Check the following:

• Predatory journals do not meet the criteria outlined in the checklist to the left or Think Check Submit.

• Predatory journals are open access because the focus is on collecting publication fees.

• Low publication fees (APC), to publish as much as possible.

• Superficial and rapid peer review and publication process. Sometimes, there's also an option to speed up the process further for a fee.

• Poor compliance to research ethics, copyright, and parallel publication.

• Dubious editorial practices, where the same person may serve as the editor-in-chief for several of the publisher's journals.

• Tendency to exaggerate the scientific significance/competence of the journal.

• Inadequate transparency and information (including APC fees, contact information).

• Unprofessional website, e.g., with a lot of advertisements.

• Title or logo resembling other recognized journals. There are also hijacked journals where the name and layout of a reputable journal have been copied. The fake journal's website may closely resemble the original journal's, to deceive researchers into submitting their articles to the fake journal instead of the original! Compilation of hijacked journals: Retraction Watch Hijacked Journal Checker.

• Often covers a broad subject area to attract as many articles as possible.

• Active attempts to lure contributors, often with flattering emails. The operation can be compared with other email scams. Recognized and reliable publication channels do not need to market themselves aggressively and emotionally (although reliable journals may also contact researchers personally when compiling special issues).

• Negative reputation, e.g., according to discussions on the internet.

• Lack of DOAJ indexing. DOAJ-indexed journals are quality-controlled OA journals.

Learn more: 

• Publication Forum: Hijacked journals as a nuisance to the scientific community