We kindly inform you that in connection with our procedure that aims to counteract the Predatory Journals practices, Index Copernicus Experts conducted an additional verification of all the journals that applied for indexation in the ICI Journals Master List database (more about the verification process).

Predatory Journals or Predatory Publishers is an exploitative business model which characteristic feature is charging publication fees without providing the accountable scientific editorial services. Editorial Offices use open access policy in order to justify charging publication fees to authors – the article is published immediately after a payment but without preserving the appropriate standards of publications for the scientific journals.

Additionally, Predatory Journals use misleading communication such as:

• providing false information about the involvement of well-known scientists in the review process of a particular journal;
• spreading false information about the journal’s indexation in trustworthy bibliographic bases;
• presenting fake bibliometric indicators, very often similar to those indicators that are highly respected in the scientific community;
• lack of verification concerning the authenticity of manuscripts;
• charging for adding names to the list of the authors of works that were not written by them.

In accordance with the current evaluation methodology, the journals – for which the provision of reliable editorial services of a scientific journal will not be confirmed – will not be indexed on the ICI Journals Master List, as well as will not receive ICV (Index Copernicus Value) for a given year (more about accountable scientific editorial services).

Simultaneously, we kindly inform you that the new statuses have been added to the Journals Passports, which are Transparency Warning and Predatory Alert. These statuses were given to the journals which were negatively verified with respect to Predatory Journals practices.

The list of journals suspected of using Predatory Journals practices, as well as these which do not follow the rules of transparency of actions is available at the ICI World of Journals database at https://journals.indexcopernicus.com/search/form.

If you suspect that a given Editorial Office is using Predatory Journals practices, please contact us at the dedicated email address predatory@indexcopernicus.com or via contact form available in each of the Journal’s Passport in the ICI World of Journals database.