Developed by Loyola Marymount University in the US, the rubric guides you to consider specific criteria and give each a score. This allows you to assess the professional standards and credibility of a journal and provides a useful set of standards by which to compare different journals
Red Flags
Rapid publication is promised
The homepage language targets authors
The journal does not have clear policies on retraction, corrections/errata, or plagiarism
Description of the manuscript handling process is lacking
The contact email address is non-professional and non-journal related
Manuscripts are requested to be submitted by email instead of through an online submission system
Journals claiming to be open access either retain copyright of published research or fail to mention copyright
Article processing and/or publication charge is very low (e.g. < £150)
Information on whether and how journal content will be archived and preserved is absent
Scope of journal is not clear
Website contains spelling and grammatical errors
No ISSN (International Standard Serial Number)
Not indexed by MEDLINE, Scopus, PsycINFO, Web of Science, or other legitimate abstracting or indexing services or databases
Journal title mirrors the title of an established journal with one or two words being different
Journal is not published by reputable or known publisher
Journal sends unsolicited email invitations for submissions, reviewers, or to serve on its editorial board
Looks like a trade journal, not a scholarly journal
Advertising is accepted
Quality Indicators
Scope of the journal is well-defined and clearly stated
Journal’s primary audience is researchers/practitioners
Editor, editorial board are recognized experts in the field
Journal is affiliated with or sponsored by an established scholarly society or academic institution
Articles are within the scope of the journal and meet the standards of the discipline
Any fees or charges for publishing in the journal are easily found on the journal web site and clearly explained
Articles have DOIs
Journal clearly indicates rights for use and re-use of content at article level (e.g., Creative Commons CC BY license)
