Publishing

“Is this journal predatory, or just expensive?”

The red flags, and your options right now.

The acceptance came suspiciously fast. Then the invoice arrived, larger than expected, and the red flags you half-noticed at submission are suddenly everywhere. Here is how to tell whether a journal is predatory, and what you can actually do once you have already sent your paper.

By Heidi Andersén, MD, PhD · Updated 18 July 2026 · 7 min read

“After I submitted my paper I started seeing some alarming red flags all over the place. They are now asking me to pay a huge sum of money which I cannot and do not want to pay.” — a researcher, after submission

The problemThe fee is a symptom, not the disease.

A legitimate open-access journal can charge a substantial article-processing charge (APC), so the fee alone does not make a journal predatory. What marks a predatory journal is the pattern around the fee: no real peer review, aggressive solicitation, fake or hidden metrics, an editorial board that never agreed to serve, and a charge that appears only after you are committed. If the acceptance was fast and light and the invoice is the first serious contact, you have reason to look hard.

It matters because the paper can follow you. A publication in a predatory venue is hard to undo: it may not be indexed, may not count for assessment, and can raise questions on your record later. The best moment to check a journal is before submission, but if that moment has passed, acting quickly still protects both your money and your manuscript.

Common mistakesFour things that deepen the trap

Paying to make it stop. Paying rarely ends the pressure, and it confirms you as a source of income. Do not pay under duress.
Assuming acceptance locks you in. Until a copyright form is signed, you usually still control where the paper goes.
Trusting the journal’s own metrics. “Impact factor” look-alikes and invented indices are a hallmark, not reassurance.
Being too embarrassed to ask. Your library and supervisor have seen this many times. Silence helps only the journal.

The red-flag patternWeigh the signals, don’t hunt one verdict

You do not need a definitive verdict, only a weighing of the signals. The strong ones: unsolicited flattering emails, acceptance within days with no substantive review, an editorial board that cannot be confirmed or that lists people without their consent, fake metrics, a fee revealed only after acceptance, and spelling and scope that are all over the place. Cross-check the journal against independent registries rather than its own claims. Is it in the DOAJ? Is the publisher a COPE member? Does Think. Check. Submit. raise concerns? Several flags together, not any single one, is the signal.

Already submittedA route out, in order

What to do now

Do not pay yet; a charge under pressure is a warning, not an obligation. Check the journal against independent registries, the DOAJ for the journal and COPE for the publisher, and run it through Think. Check. Submit. Look for a signed transfer, because if you have not signed a copyright or licence agreement you very likely still hold the rights.

Then withdraw in writing, keeping a dated copy, stating that you are withdrawing the manuscript and do not consent to publication or fees. Tell your library and co-authors, who can confirm the assessment and help with next steps. No reputable journal penalises a clean withdrawal.

ChecklistRun the red-flag check yourself

Five questions to weigh

Did they contact you first with unusual flattery, and accept suspiciously fast?
Was the fee disclosed only after acceptance?
Can you independently confirm the editorial board and any metrics they cite?
Is the journal in the DOAJ, and the publisher a COPE member?
Does Think. Check. Submit. raise any concern?

No-fee routesOpen access without the trap

If cost was the reason you ended up here, there are honest routes to open access. Filter the DOAJ for journals with no APC. Check whether your institution has a read-and-publish agreement that covers the fee. Ask the journal directly about a waiver, since many have formal policies for authors without funding or from lower-income settings. Or post a preprint, so the work is open while you choose a venue carefully.

Related guidesRead next

Vahtian does not sell a journal checker, and there is no product to buy here; this page is a free trust resource. If it helped, the Learn journey covers the rest of getting published without getting scammed.