Cabells Predatory Reports Database Helps Identifying Predatory Journals

Predatory journals are publications that collect publication fees from authors but do not follow good scientific publishing practices. Recently there has been much discussion about predatory journals and publishers, as well as the gray area of publishing. Where can one find help in evaluating journals, especially in identifying predatory ones?

There are many unofficial lists of predatory journals available online, such as the archived version of the well-known Beall's List or the predatoryreports.org website that gained attention in spring 2023. However, the information on these lists cannot be considered reliable because there is no information about the origin, criteria, or update frequency of these websites. Instead of using these unofficial lists, it is advisable to seek information from Cabells Predatory Reports database.

Cabells Predatory Reports is a subscription-based database launched in 2017 that lists predatory journals. The database currently includes over 17,000 journals, with over 500 journals under evaluation. The evaluation process involves criteria to assess the level of publishing activities. The criteria examine the journal's peer review and publishing practices, fees, indexing, and metrics, among other factors. When a sufficient number of criteria are met, the journal is classified as predatory and added to the database.

Because it is easy and quick to establish predatory journals, Cabells Predatory Reports database cannot always keep up with the situation entirely. Even if a particular journal is not found in the database, it could still be a predatory journal. However, together with other tools that evaluate the quality of journals, Cabells Predatory Reports helps to assess the reliability of journals and avoid suspicious publications.

Link to Cabells Predatory Reports: https://utuvolter.fi/permalink/358FIN_UTUR/1fagapr/alma9920759145405971

Analyzing journals/ Evaluation based on scientific publications guide by Turku University Library: https://utuguides.fi/arviointi/lehdet 

Analyzing journals/ Finnish national guide to publication metrics:
https://wiki.eduuni.fi/display/csckjmo/Lehdet

If you are interested in tools for evaluating journals, you can participate in the webinar series organized by the library: https://utuguides.fi/c.php?g=657267&p=5153811