IPSA Launches New Tool to Help Researchers Identify Predatory Journals

IPSA is pleased to announce the launch of The Predation Index, a new online tool designed to help researchers in political science identify potentially predatory journals. This free resource is available on the IPSA website to all users and aims to support scholars at all career stages in publishing their research responsibly and ethically.

Predatory journals have become an increasing concern in academic publishing, often preying on early-career researchers with promises of a quick publication process and deceptive claims of legitimacy. These journals typically lack rigorous peer review processes and ethical publishing standards, posing serious threats to academic integrity. While much of the focus on predatory publishing has centered on the natural sciences, the issue remains underexplored in the social sciences, including political science.

To address this gap, IPSR editors  Annika Hinze, Daniel Stockemer, and IPSR former editor Theresa Reidy, created a Predation Index, a 10-question self-assessment tool as laid out in their article titled “The Predation Index: A tool to discover predatory journals,” which is forthcoming in PS: Political Science & Politics. The tool enables researchers to evaluate journals based on transparent and measurable indicators grouped into three core categories: information regarding editors, staff and their qualifications, business practices, and overall publishing standards. The assessment takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete and generates a score from 0 (high quality) to 10 (strong indications of predatory practices).

The Predation Index was officially launched at the special session, Publishing and Ethics in Research: What’s Up?, held on 15 July during the IPSA World Congress of Political Science in Seoul.