Many fake journals are there in Scopus and SCI and particularly many journals have multiple websites for them. This causes great confusion and sometimes scholars get trapped into fake journals.
The following are some of the tips to identify fake/predatory journals.
- Go for a detailed search of the journal website.
- Check whether the journal is a member of DOAJ, COPE, OASPA or STM.
- Approach / function through agents.
- In Indian currency, they collect /publish publication fees.
- They send spam / phishing mails / SMSs and cannot easily get in touch.
- They collect publishing fees for user accounts.
- The majority of publications are from individuals.
- Fake editorial board.
- Wrong journal content statements, including Impact Factor.
- Guarantee publication within a very short timeframe (1 day to 1 month).
- Promising peer review, but only offering a scale-based review study.
- The number of papers (30 to 1000) in each issue will be unbelievable.
- Fake Journal Promotion: Fake journals manipulate search results to appear at the top, attracting unsuspecting authors.
- Fake Journal Promotion: Fake journals manipulate search results to appear at the top, attracting unsuspecting authors.
- Verification through Web of Science: Authors can confirm a journal’s authenticity by emailing trusted third-party sites like Web of Science.
- Recruitment Tactics: Fake journals lure researchers via emails, social media, or messaging apps, promising quick publication for a fee.
Authors and researchers employ various methods to locate or confirm the hijacked status of journals:
- Duplicated Journal Archives: Hijacked journals share identical papers; comparing archives of similar-titled journals reveals overlaps.
- Identical Website Templates: Hijacked journals often use identical website layouts, indicating potential hijacking.
- Growth in Indexing: Sharp spikes in indexed papers over months suggest a hijacked journal, changes in publication rates indicate hijacking.
- Anomalous Citations: Unrelated citations hint at hijacked journals.
- Scholars’ Comments: Scholarly feedback on platforms like Scimago or through correspondence can signal hijacking concerns.
The following are the list of journals which have two websites.
| S.No. | Fake Journal | Website 1 | Website 2 |
| 1. | Acta Bioethica | https://tinyurl.com/y2nfb9by | https://tinyurl.com/yxnrhbga |
| 2. | Journal of Xidian university | http://xadzkjdx.cn/ | https://tinyurl.com/yyoj3eay |
| 3. | African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines | http://www.bioline.org.br/tc | https://athmsi.org/journals/index.php/ajtcam/index |
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