Submitted to a suspicious journal? What to do next

Post-submission recovery guide

Submitted to a suspicious journal? What to do next

Realising that a journal may be unreliable after you have submitted is stressful, but the correct next step depends on where the manuscript is in the publication process. Confirm the journal first, preserve your records, and avoid creating a second publication-ethics problem while you resolve the first one.

Maintained by the Beallslists.com editorial review team · Evidence reviewed: · Current verification cycle: 2026

First: verify the concern before you act

A slow reply, an unfamiliar publisher or a low-profile website does not automatically make a journal predatory. Recheck the journal's identity, indexing claims, editorial board, peer-review information and fees using independent sources.

If the concern remains serious, save a copy of the journal's policies, your submission confirmation and all correspondence. Policies and web pages can change later.

If the manuscript is under review

Send a clear written withdrawal request through the official editorial channel. Include the manuscript title and submission ID, state that you are withdrawing it from consideration, and ask for written confirmation.

Do not submit the same manuscript to another journal while it is still formally under consideration. Simultaneous submission can create an avoidable ethics dispute even when the first journal is problematic.

If the paper was accepted but not published

Act quickly. If you have not signed a publishing or copyright agreement, do not sign one until the situation is resolved. If you have not paid an APC, do not pay merely because an acceptance message creates urgency. Ask for written confirmation of withdrawal and preserve the timeline.

If you already signed an agreement, read the terms rather than assuming you can ignore it. Your institution's library, research office or legal counsel may be able to help interpret the situation.

If the journal asks for a withdrawal fee

Do not treat a fee demand as proof that the journal is predatory, because withdrawal policies vary. Instead, compare the demand with the policy that was disclosed when you submitted, the stage of the manuscript, and any agreement you accepted.

Our separate journal withdrawal-fee guide explains the questions to ask before paying or disputing a charge.

If the article is already online

Once an article has been published, the situation is more complicated than ordinary manuscript withdrawal. Save the article, DOI, publication date, licence or copyright information and all correspondence. Ask the journal for the appropriate post-publication remedy and involve your institution if necessary.

Do not simply send the same published manuscript to another journal. Duplicate publication can create problems for you even when the first publisher behaved badly. Be transparent with any future editor about the history.

A practical evidence checklist

  • Submission confirmation and manuscript ID
  • Date of withdrawal request
  • Copies or screenshots of relevant journal policies
  • Invoices and payment records
  • Copyright or publishing agreements
  • Emails and portal messages
  • The URL, DOI and date if the article appeared online

This record can help your university, a future journal editor, a payment provider or legal adviser understand what happened.

Where authors can get independent help

University librarians and research-integrity offices routinely help researchers evaluate journals and publishing disputes. The Centre for Journalology at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute also provides specific guidance for researchers who have submitted to predatory journals, including preserving correspondence and requesting withdrawal.

Before choosing your next journal, run the new candidate through the Journal Evaluation Checklist or Journal Checker.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do if I accidentally submitted to a predatory journal?

Verify the concern, save your records, send a clear written withdrawal request, avoid signing new agreements or paying unexpected fees, and wait until the submission status is resolved before resubmitting elsewhere.

Can I submit the paper to another journal immediately?

Usually you should avoid simultaneous submission. Obtain withdrawal confirmation or otherwise document that the first submission is no longer under consideration before resubmitting, and disclose unusual circumstances to the new editor when appropriate.

What if the journal publishes my paper after I asked to withdraw it?

Preserve the withdrawal evidence and the published version, contact the journal in writing, and seek help from your institution or appropriate legal or copyright advisers if the dispute cannot be resolved.

Should I pay a withdrawal fee?

Review the policy that applied when you submitted, the manuscript stage and any agreement you accepted. A fee demand should be evaluated on its facts rather than treated as automatically valid or automatically predatory.

Independent sources used in this guide

Journal records, publisher practices and web infrastructure can change. Verify time-sensitive claims at the original source before making a submission, funding, hiring, promotion or legal decision.