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Is this a real journal? Predatory publishing, checked
Is this a real journal? Predatory publishing, checked: three live lookups — is the journal indexed in DOAJ, does the DOI resolve to a real record, has this…
This launch guide maps the topic, the source base and the practical questions. Check the linked official authority before acting on a rule, deadline, price or safety requirement.
What this guide covers
Three live lookups — is the journal indexed in DOAJ, does the DOI resolve to a real record, has this paper been retracted — sit above a page per warning sign: the invented impact factor, the index nobody uses, an editorial board that does not know it is on one, a two-day peer review, an author fee that only appears after acceptance, hijacked journal names, paper mills, and the special-issue flood.
A closing page shows two near-identical-looking journals side by side, one reputable and one not, with every difference labelled. Fourteen pages plus the lookups.
How to use it
Use Is this a real journal? Predatory publishing, checked as a structured learning path: begin with the vocabulary, follow the evidence map, and keep the uncertainty labels attached to claims as you compare sources.
The page keeps the main question, its evidence base and its limits together in one canonical place. That makes it useful as a quick orientation and avoids splitting a broad subject into shallow pages before each narrower answer has enough verified material of its own.
Search vocabulary in four languages
Terminology changes across borders. These are example phrases people use for the same subject in Estonian, Finnish, Russian and English; they are included as a practical vocabulary aid, not as hidden keywords.
| Language | Example phrase |
|---|---|
| Estonian | röövellik teadusajakiri |
| Finnish | saalistava julkaisija tunnistaminen |
| Russian | хищнические журналы как распознать |
| English | is this journal predatory checklist |
Evidence and provenance
The evidence map below records the primary, official or openly licensed material chosen for this guide. It is deliberately visible so a reader can tell the difference between a rule published by an authority, a measured dataset and an editorial explanation.
Source: DOAJ metadata (CC0), Crossref's open API including the Retraction Watch database released as CC0 in 2023, and Think.Check.Submit (CC BY). · checked 2026-09-09
Source names are preserved even where an authority changes its web address. No figure is added to this launch page unless it is already present in the cited source description or can be computed from a named dataset.
Scope and boundaries
the existing retraction monitor watches papers this site itself cites; this is a public lookup and a teaching surface for anyone's paper.
Connected TempoLife guides
The following paths are the intentional hand-offs named in the brief. They keep adjacent subjects separate while making the next useful reference easy to find.
Why it belongs on TempoLife
/research.
Frequently asked questions
What does this guide cover?
Three live lookups — is the journal indexed in DOAJ, does the DOI resolve to a real record, has this paper been retracted — sit above a page per warning sign: the invented impact factor, the index nobody uses, an editorial board that does not know it is on one, a two-day peer review, an author fee that only appears after acceptance, hijacked journal names, paper mills, and the special-issue flood. A closing page shows two near-identical-looking journals side by side, one reputable and one not, with every…
What evidence does it use?
DOAJ metadata (CC0), Crossref's open API including the Retraction Watch database released as CC0 in 2023, and Think.Check.Submit (CC BY).
Where does this guide stop?
the existing retraction monitor watches papers this site itself cites; this is a public lookup and a teaching surface for anyone's paper.
Turn the reference into a routine
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