Before-you-submit guide
15 Questions Researchers Should Ask Before Submitting to a Journal
This page is designed for the moment before submission. Each question points to a fact you can verify, rather than asking you to trust a label, ranking badge or invitation email.
Reviewed by the Beallslists.com editorial desk · Evidence checked: · Review cycle: 2026
Questions about identity
- Is this the journal’s real website? Confirm the publisher, domain and ISSN through independent records.
- Who owns the journal? Look for a clear publisher, society or institution rather than a vague brand name.
- Does the title imitate another journal? Similar naming can be innocent, but it should trigger an identity check.
Questions about indexing and metrics
- Is the journal currently in Scopus? Check the Source record, coverage years and status.
- Is it in PubMed or MEDLINE? Use the NLM Catalog and read the exact indexing fields.
- Which Web of Science collection includes it? Verify in the Master Journal List.
- Is the claimed Impact Factor genuine? Identify the metric provider and year; verify a JIF through Clarivate.
- What does Q1/Q2 mean here? Quartiles depend on the database, category and year.
Questions about editorial quality
- Who reviews the manuscript? The journal should explain its peer-review model.
- Can I verify the editors? Search several names and affiliations independently.
- Are acceptance promises realistic? Guaranteed acceptance should make you cautious.
- Do recent articles match the journal’s scope? Read actual papers, not only the aims page.
Questions about money and rights
- What will I pay? APCs and mandatory charges should be visible before submission.
- What if I withdraw? Read withdrawal and refund terms before you upload the manuscript.
- What rights do I keep? Check copyright, license and repository rules.
When should you stop?
Stop and investigate when several answers are unclear, contradictory or impossible to verify. A journal that is suitable for your work should be able to explain who runs it, how manuscripts are evaluated, what authors pay and where its claims can be independently confirmed.
Why these questions work better than a single blacklist
A list can tell you that someone raised concerns at a particular time. These questions help you evaluate the journal in front of you now. They also create a record of your due diligence: you can show which official sources you checked, which terms you read and which claims you confirmed.
That is especially useful when a journal is new, not listed anywhere, or has a mixed history that cannot be reduced to a simple yes/no label.
Official sources used for verification
Use first-party databases and recognized publishing-ethics guidance for current checks. A logo or a claim on a journal website is not a substitute for an official record.