Shodhyantri Engineering Services
Research · Analysis · Editing · Publication Support
An evidence-based check of a journal's identity, indexing, website, editorial board and practices, so your paper and fee do not end up with a fake or hijacked journal.
Tell us about your predatory & clone journal check need. We reply within one working day.
Every month scholars receive emails inviting them to publish quickly in a journal that claims Scopus or Web of Science indexing. Some of these journals are genuine. Many are not. Our predatory journal check examines the journal you are considering and reports what we find, with sources. We look at ISSN records, official index listings, the website address, the editorial board and the publication practices that usually separate real journals from fake ones.
The cost of a mistake is high. A paper published in a clone or hijacked journal may not count for your PhD, appointment or promotion, and withdrawing it can be difficult. A check before submission takes little time compared with that risk. We do not label journals carelessly; we explain the evidence so you can make an informed decision.
A predatory journal charges publication fees while skipping real peer review and editorial care. A clone or hijacked journal is a fake website that copies the name, ISSN and sometimes the design of a genuine indexed journal, then collects papers and fees from authors who believe they are submitting to the original.
Clone journals cause particular confusion because the real journal does appear in Scopus or the UGC-CARE list, but under a different web address. The key is to reach the journal through the official database entry or the publisher's own site, never through an email link, and to check that every detail matches.
Each finding is linked to a source such as the ISSN Portal, Scopus source list or the publisher's own page, so you can check it yourself.
We compare the web address, contact details and publisher listed in official databases with the site you were given.
Papers in fake journals may be rejected by university committees, so checking first protects the time spent on your research.
Publication fees paid to clone journals are rarely recovered; verification before payment avoids that loss.
New or small journals are not automatically predatory. We separate genuine warning signs from normal features of young journals.
If a journal fails the check, we can suggest verified journals with a similar scope for your paper.
Ten stages, each with a clear output. Nothing moves to the next stage until you have reviewed the last one.
— You review every stage first, then decide —
Title, ISSN, publisher and country on the website match the official ISSN and database records exactly.
Listing is current, not discontinued or removed, for the year in which you will publish.
The website domain is the one linked from the official index entry or publisher site.
Board members exist, hold stated affiliations and are publicly linked to the journal.
Promised review times and published content are consistent with genuine peer review practice.
Fees are disclosed on the official site, invoiced properly and never requested before acceptance.
Every stage is shared with notes explaining what was changed and why. You and your supervisor check it, and the next stage starts only after your go-ahead.
| Common problem | How Shodhyantri helps |
|---|---|
| Trusting a Scopus or Web of Science logo displayed on the journal's own website. | Search the journal in the official database yourself and open its website from the database entry. |
| Clicking the submission link in an unsolicited email invitation. | Never use email links; reach the journal only through the publisher's official site or the database listing. |
| Assuming the journal is genuine because its title appears in the UGC-CARE list. | Check that the website and ISSN shown in the UGC-CARE entry match the site you are using. |
| Paying a fee before any peer review report or acceptance letter is received. | Genuine journals invoice after acceptance; refuse advance payment demands and verify the journal before any payment. |
| Believing promises of acceptance within a few days of submission. | Real peer review takes weeks at least; very short guaranteed timelines are a strong warning sign. |
| Ignoring a journal that was discontinued from Scopus coverage. | Check coverage years; papers published after discontinuation are generally not indexed in Scopus. |
Clone journals often use the same name; the ISSN record shows the true publisher and title history.
A website registered only recently for a journal claiming decades of history deserves extra scrutiny.
A short polite email to a listed editor can confirm whether they actually serve the journal.
Poor language, wrong scope and missing references across articles suggest little editorial control.
Genuine articles usually carry DOIs that open the article on the journal's own site.
Official journals rarely correspond through free email services; check the domain against the publisher.
University librarians often keep notes on known clone journals and can confirm doubtful cases.
Save screenshots and links of your verification in case a committee asks how you chose the journal.
Your work is handled by people who read your field's literature, not by a single generalist.
A PhD-qualified specialist from your field who checks the research logic, gap and contribution.
Handles statistics, models and qualitative coding, and documents every analytical decision.
Improves structure, flow, clarity and academic tone without changing your meaning.
Builds and validates MATLAB, Python, ANSYS or COMSOL work where your study needs it.
Checks grammar, consistency, numbering, citations and the small errors examiners notice.
Applies your university or journal template, reference style and front matter exactly.
A predatory journal is a real publication that charges fees without proper peer review or editorial care. A clone or hijacked journal pretends to be a genuine journal by copying its title and ISSN on a fake website. Both put your paper at risk, but clone journals are harder to spot.
Sometimes the evidence is clear, such as a website that does not match the official database entry. In other cases we report warning signs and a risk level. We base every finding on checkable sources and avoid labelling a journal without evidence.
If the paper is not yet published, write to withdraw it in writing and keep a copy. Do not pay further fees. If it is published, options are limited, but we can help you draft a withdrawal request and choose a verified journal for any future version.
Listing is a strong signal, but clone sites copy listed journals. Always open the journal's website from the official listing and match the ISSN and publisher. UGC has publicly warned about clone journals in the past, which shows why direct verification matters.
No. Many genuine journals start without indexing and apply later. A new journal can be legitimate if it has a real editorial board, transparent policies and proper peer review. It simply may not meet your university's requirement yet.
We can confirm what the official records and the journal's practices show on the date of checking. Journals can change status later, and indexing decisions belong to the database owners. We cannot guarantee future status, acceptance or indexing of your paper.
No. Our check is done for you, the author. We do not take payments from journals for recommending them, which keeps the assessment independent. Any fee we charge is for our verification work, and we tell you that fee clearly before we begin any check.
We provide research guidance, statistical analysis, editing, formatting and training support. All research content remains the scholar's own work, in line with UGC and university academic integrity norms. We do not guarantee publication, acceptance, indexing or academic outcomes: journals decide through peer review and universities award degrees.
Share your topic, draft or data. We will tell you honestly what it needs, and what it does not, before you pay anything.