A new campaign to help authors has recently launched, called Think. Check. Submit.

It gives a simple workflow to help authors decide whether a journal they are looking at is reputable and the right one for their work. From their website:

Not all researchers receive the same level of training and support in how to choose a trustworthy journal to submit their work to. Think. Check. Submit. provides a easy-to-use checklist that researchers can refer to when they are investigating whether a journal can be trusted.

MDPI and Think. Check. Submit.

At MDPI, we fully endorse Think. Check. Submit as a common-sense way to help decide where a paper should go. Despite the existence of lists of approved and non-approved journals from indexing services and libraries, none can be comprehensive or error free. We encourage potential authors to seek opinions from multiple sources, including colleagues and the journal editors.

What does Think Check Submit mean?

This organization proposes the three steps as a way for authors to know what the best option is for submitting their work.

Think

According to their website, Think. Check. Submit lists the following under the think category:

Are you submitting your research to a trusted journal or publisher? Is it the right journal or book for your work?

The key here is to not rush into a decision based on what others might say or what people claim. You should be doing what is best for your work and your academic success.

Check

The organization provides you with a handy list that helps you to assess publishers to decide if they are a right fit for you and your work.

Submit

This one is pretty self-explanatory. You’ve done the research, and thought about it carefully, so now it’s time to submit your work.

Information about MDPI’s involvement

MDPI is a member of the Open Access Scholarly Publishers’ Association (OASPA) and STM, two of the organizations that have helped to establish the campaign, and our journals are listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), another founding member. If you have any questions about an MDPI journal, just contact the journal Editorial Office or support@mdpi.com and we will be happy to point you in the right direction.

As part of the Sciforum project, we have made data on academic publishers and journals available. From the launch page, you can search publishers or journals and see statistics on papers published, indexing and open access content. Those who have published in a journal can give a rating and comments based on their experience. We hope that this will contribute more information to help scholars make informed choices for their manuscripts.