Open Access: Evaluating

A few things to think about:

• Acceptance/rejection rates
• Citations in other journals
• Journal found in indexing services
• Articles are up to standards of field
• Reputation and metrics (journal impact factor or rank or Eigenfactor)
• Editorial board members and reviewers are experts in the field
• Transparency of scope, policies, contact information, author rights, licensing, etc.
• Preservation of content for continued online access

Reputable Open Access Journals should meet the following standards:

• Content is freely available upon publication
• Be a member of the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association OR adhere to its Code of Conduct
• List article publication fees
• Content is often published with an open license (not always)
• Should be indexed in a major indexing and abstracting service (some reputable journals are not indexed - so use this in addition to the other tools)
• Transparency - clear instructions, manuscript guidance, fees and policies, peer review prcess, etc. 

Check out these links for more on evaluation criteria, standards, and best practices:

Check in these databases to see if the journal is listed in a reputable directory or if it is in Cabell's predatory report.  Remember: new journals may or may not be listed - so a lack of inclusion should not be your only determination

If a journal you are considering publishing in is sending up red flags by not meeting these standards, it might be better to consider another place to publish your article. Don't hesitate to talk to your UIW librarians, colleagues, or faculty.

The Open Access publishing model does not make a publisher predatory. Their unethical business practice does.

These are just some tools to help you avoid predatory publishers.

Go to the journal's website.

What you want: Transparency

• Peer review process/methodology should be explicit
• Guidance on manuscripts
• Peer review process will not be fast (days)
• Any and all fees associated with publishing should be listed and should be similar to other reputable journals
• Should have ISSNs and DOIs
• Aim, scope, and readership should be clear
• Owners, management, editorial boards, and governing boards should be available and include contact information
• Copyright and licensing policies should be articulated
• Publishing information including research misconduct policies, publishing schedules, journal access, archive policies, and more should all be available on the website

More things to think about:

• Grammar - watch for typos or vocabulary is below industry standards
• Layout or picture quality is unprofessional
• No "About Us" information and/or it is contradictory
• Missing contact information
• Dead links
• Address isn't right (check Google Maps)
• Editorial board members and/or authors have no academic credentials, don't exist, or don't note the journal anywhere in their professional digital footprint
• Negative reputation - check Cabell's
• Check if it is indexed in a directory or database

Also check the location using Google Maps - drill down to street view and see what is actually there. Keep in mind, street view photos may be out of date.