While determining whether a journal is predatory is ultimately the author's decision, there are several tools that can help.
1. Think, Check, Submit offers a useul checklist rubric for both journals and books.
2. If the journal is open access, be sure it is listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals
3. Is the journal indexed in PubMed/Medline? Medline indexing indicates is a more rigorous review process. You can check by looking up the journal by title or ISSN in the National Library of Medicine catalog.
4. Are there article publication charges (APCs) in the journal is open access? If so, are they in line with comparable journals?
If you have any doubts and want a second opinion, contact us at library@scripps.edu
-Korey