Researcher resource hub
Journal verification guides
Use this hub when you need to verify a journal before submission, promotion, funding or literature assessment. Each guide focuses on one question so you can check the evidence at the original source instead of relying on a badge, screenshot or third-party claim.
Maintained by the Beallslists.com editorial review team · Evidence reviewed: · Current verification cycle: 2026
Start with the question you need to answer
Is this journal trustworthy?
Use the 12-step verification workflow covering identity, indexing, editors, peer review, fees and published articles.
Is this journal indexed?
Learn how to verify journal-level claims across major databases and avoid confusing article presence with journal coverage.
Is it in PubMed, MEDLINE or PMC?
Understand the NLM records and the differences among these services.
Is it currently covered by Scopus?
Check source identity, coverage years and discontinued coverage.
Is it in Web of Science?
Use the Master Journal List and verify the exact collection.
Is the Impact Factor real?
Distinguish the Journal Impact Factor from unrelated metrics using the provider's official records.
Check the publishing process
New identity, invitation and research-integrity guides
Verify a journal ISSN
Use the official ISSN record to compare title, medium and identity before relying on indexing or publisher claims.
Verify a DOI and Crossref metadata
Check DOI resolution and metadata without treating DOI registration as a quality or indexing badge.
Journal changed publisher or website?
Trace a legitimate publisher transfer and distinguish it from an unexplained identity change.
Indexjacking and hijacked journals in Scopus
Understand why database coverage and website authenticity must sometimes be checked separately.
Verify a special issue or guest editor invitation
Check the sender, special issue, editorial role, fees and submission route before accepting.
Submitted to a suspicious journal?
Practical next steps for withdrawal, documentation, fees, copyright and resubmission.
Journal withdrawal fees
Questions to ask about disclosure, manuscript stage, agreements and invoices before paying.
Paper mills in academic publishing
Learn how paper mills differ from predatory journals and what research-integrity warning signs mean.
How to use these guides efficiently
You do not need to run every possible check for every journal. Start with what matters to your decision. A US biomedical researcher may need to confirm NLM status and a funder's open-access requirements. A researcher whose institution requires Scopus or Web of Science should verify the exact source record and coverage years. An author responding to an unsolicited email should begin with identity, domain and editorial-board checks.
When a claim matters to your career or manuscript, always verify it at the original source.
Independent sources used in this guide
- Think. Check. Submit. — practical journal and publisher due-diligence checklist
- Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing — joint transparency principles used by DOAJ, COPE, OASPA and WAME
Database coverage and publisher practices can change. Check the official source directly before making a submission, promotion, funding, or assessment decision.