Publishing Services at Haverford

Predatory publishers exploit the open access model by charging publication fees without providing legitimate editorial services, peer review, or transparency. These publishers can damage your reputation and undermine your scholarly work.

Be cautious of these red flags:

• Lack of clear editorial board or contact information
• Unrealistically quick peer review or publication timelines
• Aggressive or unsolicited email invitations
• Poor grammar or unprofessional website design
• Journal name suspiciously similar to a reputable one

Contact your subject librarian for help evaluating journals or publishers. Before submitting your work, verify whether a journal is indexed in trusted databases such as Web of Science, DOAJ, or PubMed, and verify that any claimed indexing is accurate.

The tools below can help further assess a journal's practices and reputation:

Like some journals, certain academic conferences charge high fees and promise rapid publication or prestige without providing meaningful scholarly review or value.

Be cautious of conferences that:

• Combine many unrelated fields into a single event.
• Are hosted by for-profit companies with little or no academic affiliation.
• Use vague websites, free email addresses, or send unsolicited invitations.
• Guarantee acceptance or offer publication in questionable affiliated journals.
• Emphasize travel destinations more than scholarly content

Before submitting:

• Research the organizer and past events.
• Confirm how and where proceedings will be published.
• Check for recognizable speakers and a clear review process.