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Predatory Publishers and Conferences

What are Predatory Conferences?

Predatory conferences are usually small and for-profit. In addition, they exploit an academic’s need for recognition or an audience. Moreover, recent data shows that predatory conferences now outnumber so-called legitimate conferences.

Checklist for Recognizing Predatory Conferences

  1. Conference has overly ambitious titles, using words like "global" or "international".
  2. Technical program is very broad.
  3. Website's language has grammatical mistakes and spelling errors.
  4. Be wary of high-profile sponsors with no name conferences.
  5. Organizers' contact information is missing or hiding behind fake phone numbers.
  6. Name of the conference is very similar to a well-known association or conference.
  7. If you search for the conference and it is linked to the words "predatory" or "spam"
  8. Very high registration fees or publishing fees
  9. Conferences are scheduled more often than once a year.
  10. Check for published proceedings of previous year's conferences.