You have received an email inviting you to
- publish your paper for a small fee OR
- serve on their editorial board OR
- edit a special issue OR
- present as keynote speaker at a conference
STEP 1 Be alert
- Is it a legitimate request? - We are all flattered to be listed among the top experts of our field.
- Do they want my work? My credentials? Name? Money? All of the above?
- Are there any typos? Grammatical errors? Awkward sentences?
STEP 2 Read between the lines
- Are they offering special treatment in one way or another? - Watch out for promises of rapid peer review or publication.
- Does it sound like "pyramid" publishing? Do they expect you to drag your colleagues into it, too?
- Does it sound too good to be true?
STEP 3 Check out the sender
- Is there full contact info: email, phone, address? Are they in the same physical location (state, continent)?
- Is there a street address? Look it up on Google Maps! Is it an empty lot in the middle of nowhere?
- Do they direct you to their website? Look it up! Watch out for poor design and missing content.
STEP 4 Consider it predatory until proven otherwise
- Consult Beall's List, even though it is not current, many publishers have been in the business for a while.
- Use Think. Check. Submit. to check for authority.
- Ask around. Ask your colleagues - predatory publishers tend to send the same email to authors (or anyone related to your research, e. g., listed on your lab's website) at the same time.
- Ask a librarian.
