How long should a journal check take?

A quick first check may take 10 to 20 minutes, but important submissions deserve a more careful review of indexing records, policies, recent articles, and publisher history.

Should I avoid every journal that appears on a warning list?

A list is a warning signal. Authors should also verify current evidence, ownership, indexing, policies, and recent publishing behavior before deciding.

Author workflow

Check a journal before submission

Before you send a manuscript, slow down for one practical reason: it is much easier to avoid a questionable journal than to withdraw a paper after acceptance, payment, or online publication.

Maintained by the Beallslists.com editorial review team · Last reviewed: June 19, 2026

The 20-minute first check

Start with the journal title, publisher name, website domain, ISSN, and email address. Do not rely on the invitation email alone. Open the journal website directly, search the publisher name on this archive, and compare the website’s claims with official databases.

Confirm the journal title and ISSN on the journal website and in the ISSN Portal when possible.
Check whether the publisher name appears on the main publisher list or the standalone journal list.
Verify indexing claims in the official database, not in logos copied onto the journal website.
Read the peer-review policy and compare it with recent publication dates.
Find the APC, withdrawal fee, copyright, license, refund, correction, and retraction policies before submission.
Look at three recent articles. Are they in scope, edited properly, and written by real authors with traceable affiliations?

When to stop and ask for help

Ask a librarian, research office, supervisor, or senior colleague if the journal promises acceptance in days, hides fees, makes unverifiable indexing claims, uses a broad unrelated scope, or sends aggressive invitation emails. A second opinion is especially important when the paper is needed for graduation, promotion, grant reporting, or clinical credibility.

A realistic example

A journal claims “Scopus and PubMed indexed” on the homepage. The title is absent from Scopus, only a few selected articles appear in PubMed through author-submitted records, and the site does not explain MEDLINE, PMC, or PubMed clearly. In that case, do not treat the marketing claim as verified indexing. Save screenshots, check official records, and ask for written clarification before proceeding.

What to save for your records

Keep screenshots or PDFs of the journal homepage, indexing claims, APC page, editorial board, peer-review policy, and any email promises. If a dispute happens later, dated evidence is more useful than memory.

Useful external references

Use these public resources alongside your institution’s own publication policy and the current evidence for the specific journal or publisher you are checking.