How to Spot and Avoid Predatory Journals as an African Researcher
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 07, 2026 • Graduate & Professional School
Predatory journals and fake conferences charge you money to publish without real peer review, and the paper will not count toward your degree, promotion file, or research record. Check a journal before you submit, not after you pay.
🎓 An unsolicited email inviting you to submit within days is the clearest warning sign
💵 Predatory journals hide the article processing fee until after they accept your paper
📩 Run every unfamiliar journal through Think.Check.Submit and AJOL before you submit
Fake conferences copy real association names and reuse real city venues
What a predatory journal actually is
A predatory journal charges you a publication fee and skips genuine peer review. It accepts almost anything you send, publishes within days or weeks, and exists to collect fees rather than advance research.
Some copy the name of a respected journal with one word changed. Others invent an impact factor that no recognized index has assigned.
Fake academic conferences work the same way. You pay a registration fee, travel to a city, and find a room with unrelated papers read out in five-minute slots, no real discussion, and organizers who disappear once the event ends.
Warning signs before you submit
An email invitation you never requested, especially one praising your unrelated previous work
A promise of peer review and publication in under two weeks
No mention of a fee until after your paper is accepted
An editorial board with no working links to real university profiles, or names that do not respond when you email them
A journal title that closely mimics an established one
Claims of an impact factor or indexing you cannot confirm on Scopus, Web of Science, or the Directory of Open Access Journals
A website with broken English, stock photos, and no verifiable street address
Predatory vs legitimate at a glance
| Signal | Predatory journal | Legitimate journal |
|---|---|---|
| Invitation | Unsolicited email pushing you to submit fast | You find the journal by searching your field, not the other way round |
| Peer review time | Days to two weeks | Usually months |
| Fee disclosure | Hidden until after acceptance | Published upfront on the journal website |
| Editorial board | Names you cannot verify or contact | Real academics with working university profiles |
| Indexing claims | Invented impact factor, no DOAJ or Scopus listing | Verifiable in DOAJ, Scopus, or Web of Science |
How to verify a journal before you submit
Run the journal through the Think.Check.Submit checklist. It walks you through the editorial board, indexing, and publisher reputation in a few minutes.
If the journal is African-published, check whether it is hosted on African Journals Online (AJOL) . AJOL screens journals before listing them, so inclusion is a useful signal, though not a full guarantee on its own.
University libraries with a subscription can search Cabells Predatory Reports , a paid database that tracked more than 20,000 deceptive journals as of early 2026. Ask your library or graduate school if they carry access before you pay any fee yourself.
Search the journal name plus the word predatory and check whether other researchers have flagged it online. A journal with no complaints and no praise anywhere online is worth extra caution too.
Fake conferences target African researchers directly
Predatory conference organizers often target early-career African researchers with invitations to present in cities across Europe, Asia, or within Africa, promising fast acceptance and a certificate. Before you register, check whether the organizing body is a real academic association with a verifiable history, whether past editions published proceedings anywhere searchable, and whether keynote speakers listed on the site confirm their participation if you email them directly.
What a predatory publication costs you
Beyond the wasted fee, a predatory publication can work against you. Universities that assess research output for hiring or promotion, including many regulated by bodies like Nigeria's National Universities Commission, exclude publications from journals flagged as predatory when they count your record. A CV padded with predatory papers can raise doubts about the rest of your work during review.
If you already published in one
Disclose it to your supervisor or promotion committee rather than hope it goes unnoticed. Leave it off your CV where publication counts matter, such as scholarship or promotion applications, and put your writing effort into legitimate outlets going forward.