Are you submitting to an authentic scholarly journal?

Have you ever received a call-for-papers email that seemed too good to be true? Or come across a journal webpage that looked reputable, publisher logo and all, but had a questionable submission fee? Unfortunately, over the years it has become easier for malicious third parties to create fraudulent webpages that lure unsuspecting authors into paying a fee for the promise of quick and easy publication. Authors end up losing both money and their work to never hear from said publisher again.

Read on to learn about the two most common scams and how to avoid them.

Journal hijackingopens in new window occurs when a third-party clones part or all of an authentic scholarly journal website and presents itself to authors as the well-established journal. Unlike with a predatory journal (discussed below), the authors are led to believe that they are submitting their manuscript to a well-known journal from a reputable publisher while submitting to an impostor website, often being charged a fee to do so.

The fake website might list the same information as the authentic website: the ISSN, journal editor, publisher’s logo, and a list of recent publications. This is all done fraudulently, without the editor’s or publisher’s knowledge or consent. There are several things you can do to make sure that you are submitting to an authentic APA published journal:

• Each journal published by APA has its own webpage with a URL that uses the following format: www.apa.org/pubs/journals followed by a three-letter journal code (e.g., https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/amp). Make sure this is how the URL appears in the address bar of your browser and not just as hyperlinked text within an email—the text can easily be hyperlinked to a different website.
• Each APA journal has multiple “SUBMIT TO JOURNAL” call to action buttons on apa.org that link out to the journal submission portal. If you are in doubt of being at the correct submission portal, start on the journal's home webpage.
• APA uses the submission vendor Aries’ Editorial Manager. Every one of this vendor’s submission portals start with the web address www.editorialmanager.comopens in new window followed by a three-letter journal code (e.g., https://www.editorialmanager.com/amp/default.aspxopens in new window).
• APA will never ask authors to pay fees upon submission. If an author selects to make their article open access, APA may request a fee after the manuscript has been accepted. See authorized instances where a fee will be charged.

When in doubt, feel free to email us to verify that you are using the correct website.

Another type of publishing scam comes in the form of predatory journals—journals or publishers that appear legitimate due to elaborate websites and names that sound like those of legitimate journals, but that do not provide quality editorial and publishing services and lack basic academic and ethical standards and peer review processes. While these journals market themselves as providing easy access to open-access publication, they lack the scientific rigor that contributes to the author’s academic credibility and the advancement of knowledge in the field.

Authors are lured in by promises of short turnaround time and almost guaranteed publication. Calls for papers will use enticing language, hoping to attract papers for just a “small fee” upon submission.

A deeper look into the call-for-papers email or predatory website will uncover errors—misspelled text, vague language around policies, blurry images, a questionable editorial board, and so on.

Here’s what to look out for to avoid submitting to a predatory journal:

• Attractive promises: A publisher that guarantees the publication of your research with minimal peer review in an unreasonably short amount of time is most likely predatory.
• Payment upon submission: An APA journal will never ask for payment upon submission. If an author wishes to publish their article open access, APA may request payment after the article has been accepted.
• Grammar mistakes: Do you notice several grammar or spelling errors on the webpage or within the email? Does the email address of the sender look unusual? This is not the norm for reputable publishers.
• Vague policies: Can you find detailed instructions to authors? Is there an outline of the type of peer review used? If you find yourself struggling to find pertinent information about submission, it may not be a reputable publisher.
• Name sounds odd: If the name of the journal or the publisher rings a bell but not quite, it may be an attempt by a predatory publisher to confuse you into thinking they are legitimate.

We invite you to browse APA published journals by title, subject, or various journal features and impact metrics to find the best fit for your article.