Scholarly Communication at MTSU: Predatory journals and conferences

What is a "predatory journal?"

• While there is no universally agreed-upon definition, predatory journals are known to be publishers and journal that exploit charging fees and certain business practices to authors that wish to publish their articles.
• They tend to solicit authors, researches, and viewers and provide false lists of sources they have used.
• They also do not employ standard editorial and publishing services provided by legitimate scholarly journals such as peer review, proofreading, editing, and providing extensive detailed information of the review process.

What is a "predatory conference?"

• In a similar vein to predatory journals, predatory conferences appear as legitimate scientific conferences that make money by exploiting attendance fees. 
• They are typically poorly organized or do not exist and solicit presenters, attendees, and academics as well as use work for promotional purposes without permission.

Mary Ellen Sloane, Science Librarian

Reana Gibson, Library Student Assistant

Think. Check. Submit. is a tool that helps researchers identify trustworthy journals for their work.

Think. Check. Attend. is an international initiative that aims to guide and assist researchers and scholars when deciding whether to attend a conference or submit an abstract and present their research. 

More information on the initiative can be found at Think. Check. Attend.

Use these resources to discover and learn about journals in your discipline.