Choosing the most suitable journal for your research is important as it may affect the visibility, impact, and even credibility of your work. Authors are recommended to use their judgement to determine whether journals are suitable for submitting research to. Seek opinions from multiple sources, including colleagues and the journal editors.

MDPI recommends using well-known and transparent sources, such as Think. Check. Submit. and indexing databases like Web of Science, Scopus, and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), for evaluating journals and making sure your research reaches the right audience.

In this article, we outline ways you can find the right scholarly journals for publication using reliable methods and tools.

What is Think. Check. Submit and why use it?

Think. Check. Submit. is a free online resource that helps researchers identify trusted journals and publishers for their research. It provides a range of tools and practical resources for evaluation, enabling researchers to critically assess journals and make informed decisions, rather than inadvertently relying on preassembled lists with unclear criteria.

Lists with unclear criteria have compounded mistrust and reduced transparency in scholarly publishing. The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) recommends authors and institutions “treat lists of predatory (or fake) journals with the same degree of scrutiny as they do with the journals themselves. Lists that are not transparent about criteria used should not be relied on.”

This is important because the term ‘predatory’ can be applied inappropriately to journals to “discredit newcomers”, especially those that challenge existing subscription-based models, as explained by Prof. Emmanuel Andrès, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Clinical Medicine in an article he wrote for Research Information in 2025.

COPE’s statement also explains that “such lists may perpetuate systemic bias and include journals with limited resources but which are legitimate journals with the best intentions”.

Think. Check. Sumit. recommends authors independently determine whether journals or publishers are predatory, which it refers to as those that “charge authors a fee for publication with no intention of providing the expected services – such as editorial or peer review – in return”.

MDPI fully endorses Think. Check. Submit. as it helps authors to avoid submitting to predatory journals.

Three steps in evaluating a journal: THINK

The initiative’s website provides a checklist that you can use to independently assess whether a publisher is suitable for your research.

The three steps of the process include:

THINK – Are you submitting your research to a trusted journal? This is supported by four reasons why it is important to consider this:

• More research is being published worldwide.
• New publishers are launched each week.
• Many researchers have concerns about predatory publishing.
• It can be challenging to find up-to-date guidance when choosing where to publish.

CHECK

CHECK – Go through this list of questions to evaluate the journal and/or publisher:

• Do you or your colleagues know the journal?
• Can you easily identify and contact the publisher?
• Is the journal clear about the type of peer review it uses?
• Are articles indexed and/or archived in dedicated services?
• Is it clear what fees will be charged?
• Are guidelines provided for authors on the publisher website?
• Is the publisher a current member of a recognised industry initiative?

Each question is accompanied by several sub-questions, often with links provided so you can seek the answers yourself where necessary.

For example, the question, “Is the publisher a current member of a recognised industry initiative?” is supported by multiple prompts referring to organizations such as COPE, DOAJ, the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA), SciELO, and others.

SUBMIT

SUBMIT – Only submit if you have been able to check most or all of the items on the list.

By going through this process, you discover what you need to know when assessing whether you have found the right journal for publication. It is a critical process, which involves relying on trusted industry initiatives and organizations and your network of colleagues.

There is also a checklist for Books and Chapters too.

A useful tool to assist in assessing journals

The University of Liège ULiège Library hosts the free-to-use Compass to Publish tool, which is recommended as an evaluation tool by Think. Check. Submit. This introduces you to the analytical process of assessing an Open Access journal for its authenticity and whether it is predatory, particularly focusing on journals requiring or hiding article processing charges (APCs).

It offers a transparent methodology and weighing method, aiming to help the scholarly community understand predatory journals and publishers.

Important things to note about the tool include:

• It does not help you assess journals that explicitly state they do not require APCs.
• The tool does not help you evaluate the quality of a journal, but rather its degree of authenticity.
• It does not offer an extensive list of criteria for identifying predatory journals.
• It is not a formal evaluation available in a few clicks but rather aims to involve researchers in an analytical process.

How Compass to Publish works

Firstly, you input a journal’s relevant metadata. Then, you complete a questionnaire answering ‘Yes’, ‘No’, or ‘I don’t know’, with a scale moving from red (predatory) to green (authentic) in response to your answers.

Questions often provide links, such as to indexing databases, for you to find the answer yourself. They include:

• Is the journal indexed in the DOAJ?
• Is the publisher or the journal a member of COPE?
• Is the journal published by a well-known publisher?
• Is the journal or publisher included in one of the lists on the website Stop Predatory Journals?
• Are the journal’s articles really free and open for access?

After completing the questions, the tool shows a scale representing how likely it is to be predatory. And if the journal has already been tested by others, their results are shown for comparison.

As mentioned, this tool does not provide a definitive answer but serves as a guide for users undergoing a critical process in evaluating the authenticity of a journal.

Ensuring your research is published by the right journal

MDPI is committed to providing opportunities for scholars to publish their research in an Open Access format.

It is important for authors to use their judgement when determining where to submit their research. MDPI recommends the use of the well-known and transparent sources outlined in this article, such as Think. Check. Submit. and indexing databases, for evaluating journals.

MDPI invites you to look through its portfolio of more than 500 journals and the information provided on their webpages. If you want to learn more about MDPI and its mission to advance open science, please click here.