Predatory publishing news and research integrity updates

Topics worth monitoring

• Hijacked journals: copied websites or domains impersonating established journals.
• Indexing changes: journals added to, discontinued from or reassessed by major databases.
• Misleading metrics: new metric brands, false Journal Impact Factor claims or copied certificates.
• Mass solicitation: new journal or conference invitation patterns.
• Research-integrity enforcement: corrections, retractions and institutional actions.
• Publisher ownership changes: acquisitions, closures, transfers or domain changes that affect older archive records.

How we assess a news report

1. Identify the original source and publication date.
2. Separate claims about a publisher from claims about one journal.
3. Look for primary evidence such as database records, court/regulatory documents, journal notices or archived pages.
4. Check whether ownership, indexing or policies changed after the reported event.
5. Use cautious language when the evidence is incomplete or disputed.

News is context, not a substitute for verification

If a story concerns a journal you are considering, repeat the current checks yourself. A five-year-old article may be historically important but may not describe today's publisher, website or database status.

Useful verification routes

• Journal verification workflow
• Verify indexing claims
• Check suspicious metrics
• Check for hijacked journal websites
• Review site updates and corrections

Editorial standard for future news entries

When this page carries individual news items, each item should include the date, source, what changed, why it matters to authors and a link to the relevant verification resource. News items should not be created merely to target trending keywords without durable research value.