Predatory open-access journal publishers have increased exponentially in recent years, and a new publisher can be created in a single day, said Jeffrey Beall, a scholarly librarian at the University of Colorado Denver, and author of Scholarly Open Access, a blog that tracks and critically analyzes questionable open access publishers and journals. To help you avoid becoming a target of one of these predatory publishers, Beall offers 6 warning signs to help you identify them.

1. 6 Ways to identify
predatory OA
journal publishers
By Jeffrey Beall, author of blog Scholarly Open Access
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Association (TAA)

2. • The journal does not identify a formal editorial/review
board.
Number 1.
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Association (TAA)

3. • The publisher has no policies or practices for digital
preservation.
Number 2.
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Association (TAA)

4. • The publisher begins operations with a large fleet of
journals, often using a template to quickly create each
journal’s home page.
Number 3.
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5. • The publisher provides insufficient information or hides
information about author fees, offering to publish an
author’s paper and later sending a previously-undisclosed
invoice.
Number 4.
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6. • The name of a journal does not adequately reflect its
origin.
Number 5.
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Association (TAA)

7. • The journal falsely claims to have an impact factor, or
uses some made up measure (e.g. view factor), feigning
international standing.
Number 6.
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Association (TAA)

8. • Visit Jeffrey Beall’s blog, Scholarly Open Access, which
tracks and critically analyzes questionable open access
publisher and journals. http://scholarlyoa.com/about/
• For Beall’s full list of criteria visit:
http://scholarlyoa.com/2012/11/30/criteria-fordetermining-predatory-open-access-publishers-2ndedition/
® 2013 Text and Academic Authors
Association (TAA)