So…we’re now into May and Beall’s Lists don’t seem to be making a come-back anytime soon. Are there any other websites that can help when trying to identify known, or at least, suspected predatory publishers? The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) embarked on a major project of contacting and making all journals re-apply for inclusion in their list of open access journals. They have made available a rather useful DOAJ: journals added and removed spread-sheet listing the journals which have been added and removed from the list and also those that failed to submit an application.

There have been over 4,200 journals added to the list since May 2014 and this list is current, with the date each journal was added to the list noted on the spread-sheet. Over 2,100 journals failed to submit an application and were removed from the DOAJ. The reasons for removal from the list are given at the top of the spread-sheet and include ‘Suspected misconduct from the publisher’, ‘Ceased publication’, ‘Journal not adhering to Best Practice’ and ‘Malicious website’. The date of removal from the list is noted.

There is a link to the DOAJ application form that publishers were required to complete on the ‘Added’ tab of the spread-sheet. Detailed information on how DOAJ assessed the journals is available on this webpage.