GoKawiilStudy flags dozens of Scopus-indexed journals using three suspicious-publishing signals
A preprint posted on 20 October identifies three warning signs for detecting problematic journals: a sudden doubling of annual publication output, more than 70% of articles coming from a single country, and at least 15% of articles flagged by the Problematic Paper Screener tool. Applying these criteria to journals in the OpenAlex database, researchers found 3,753 titles meeting at least one flag, and when cross-referenced with Scopus, 5% of the matching journals had already been delisted.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Because Scopus inclusion feeds into rankings used to judge researchers and institutions, weaknesses in how questionable journals are caught could ripple through academic evaluation systems. The authors, including co-author Achal Agrawal, describe these as 'rudimentary flags' that merely warrant further scrutiny rather than proof of misconduct, suggesting the method could help databases triage review efforts rather than serve as a standalone detection tool.
- Three red flags—output doubling, single-country dominance, and Problematic Paper Screener hits—were used to screen journals.
- 3,753 journals in OpenAlex matched at least one flag; 5% of those also in Scopus had already been delisted.
- Researchers caution the flags only indicate journals worth investigating, not confirmed proof of misconduct.
Source: nature.com — Naddaf, 2026-10-28
Published there as: “These three red flags could unmask dodgy journals”
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