Publications in predatory journals became a prominent issue in academic research since 2012.
Please use the following lists as guides to avoid publishing in poor quality journals:
Beal's list of potential predatory journals
DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals)
WOS (Web of Science) and Scopus, together with the latest DOE lists of accredited journals
Also, use the following criteria to start identifying a predatory journal:
1.) Were you approached (in a flattering tone) by a journal to publish your article?
2.) How accurate is the claims on the website (e.g. where the journal is indexed, contact details)
3.) Is your supervisor/seniors aware that the journal in question exists?
When in doubt about a specific journal, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LIBRARIAN
Technology (Internet), online printing and publication practices opened the way for the rapid sharing of information on various platforms
Global university ranking systems, ratings of individual researchers (e.g. H-Index, NRF ratings) and reward systems became strong indicators of research productivity at institutions, which sometimes lead to unintended consequences.
Publishing in predatory journals may be detrimental to your research career (lists of publications on your CV may be questioned or discarded)
Publications in predatory journals will not only reflect negatively on you as an individual researcher, but also on the university where the research is conducted, and will ultimately result in questions regarding the overall trustworthiness of your work