Journal Hijacking: Spotting Cloned Journal Sites

Predatory journals, which accept payment without carrying out genuine peer review, are familiar to most researchers. A second scam, however, fools even careful and experienced authors: journal hijacking, where criminals copy the identity of a real and frequently indexed journal and take fees from authors who think they are submitting to the authentic title.

In this guide you will learn what journal hijacking is, how it is different from predatory publishing, which red flags to look for, a verification routine that takes roughly ten minutes, and the steps to take if you suspect you have already been caught out.

A Scam More Dangerous Than Predatory Journals

Hijackers take the website of a genuine journal, often one indexed in Scopus or Web of Science, copy its name, ISSN and other particulars, and build a site that resembles the original. In search results, that false site may even rank higher than the real journal. Researchers who look for a trusted, familiar title land on the clone, send in their work and pay a fee to people who have no connection to the journal. Seeing the same journal name in two places should always prompt a closer look.

Investigators and research-integrity specialists have documented hundreds of hijacked journal websites. In some cases, material from clone sites has even turned up beside legitimate records in major databases, at times papers that have nothing to do with the real journal’s subject, which is among the clearest indications of fraud.

What Is Journal Hijacking?

Journal hijacking, which is also known as journal cloning, brandjacking or journal phishing, means stealing a real journal’s identity so as to trick researchers into submitting manuscripts and paying fees to a fraudulent operation. The earliest documented cases go back to about 2012, and reports have since come from nearly every academic field. Learning how the trick works is the best protection against it.

In most cases the genuine journal is a victim as well: its name is misused, its authors are left confused, and its standing can suffer when worthless papers carry its title.

How a Journal Hijack Works

1. Choose a target. Hijackers go after a real, indexed journal, frequently one that is print-first, has a dated website, or has lost its original domain.
2. Copy its identity. They register a domain that looks alike and reproduce the name, ISSN, logo and editorial board, and at times the real article archive too.
3. Win the search results. The clone is tuned for search engines and, in documented cases, ranks above the genuine journal.
4. Take the fees. Authors who land on the clone send their papers and pay, often after an “acceptance” that arrives suspiciously quickly.
5. Disappear or fake it. The operators either vanish with the payment or publish the paper on the false site, where it carries no genuine academic worth.

Types of Hijacking

Hijacked vs Predatory Journals

The main difference is that a predatory journal was never legitimate, so it can be investigated and steered clear of. A hijacked journal pretends to be one you may already trust and cite. On the predatory side, see our predatory journal checklist.

9 Red Flags of a Hijacked Journal

Look-Alike Domains Explained

Clone domains are built to pass a quick look. One swapped letter, an added hyphen or a different ending (.com in place of .org) is all it takes. Do not rely on links in emails or search adverts; instead, open the official record yourself, copy the website it lists, and type or paste that into your browser. Once you have confirmed the genuine site, bookmark it. A bookmark spares you from retyping an address and making the same mistake twice.

6-Step Verification Before You Submit

Integrity researchers advise using more than one source, since hijackers have sometimes managed to place misleading information in legitimate services. Comparing sources against each other is what makes the check dependable.

A Worked Example

Below is an invented example of the kind of comparison that reveals a clone. The names have been made up for illustration.

Any single one of these mismatches is reason enough to stop. Taken together, they remove all doubt.

Why Indexed Journals Are the Main Target

Researchers see indexing as proof of credibility, so a clone of an indexed journal can borrow the original’s citation history, track record and prestige while it takes fees for worthless publications. Journals that are print-first, have limited online infrastructure or have let their domains lapse are particularly exposed. After a domain expires, a hijacker can register it and assume an established journal’s online identity, which is among the hardest forms to spot.

When Clone Content Reaches Databases

Integrity researchers have reported cases where papers from clone websites showed up in database records of the genuine journal, often on subjects far from its scope. For that reason, indexing status alone proves nothing: always make sure the website agrees with the one in the official record. Our Scopus search guide explains how to read source records, and the Scopus quartile guide shows why an impressive-looking quartile on a website is not evidence by itself.

Reading Invitation Emails

Should an invitation appeal to you, skip its links, locate the journal in an official record and check it using the six steps above.

Payment Red Flags

What to Do If You Already Submitted

1. Halt every further payment and all contact with the website, even when penalties are threatened or you are told your paper will be rejected.
2. Check the journal again independently by following the six steps, preferably on another device or network.
3. Contest the payment with your bank or payment provider as fraud, and hold on to every email and receipt as evidence.
4. Notify the Retraction Watch Hijacked Journal Checker team about the website and, where you can identify it, the genuine journal.
5. Inform your library or research office; many institutions maintain internal alerts and can advise about your record.
6. Withdraw the paper in writing and retain a copy, then send your real research to a journal you have checked.

Should the paper already be live on the clone site, preserve proof of your withdrawal request. Never cite the paper as a publication of the genuine journal.

Hijacking and Indian Researchers

Because appraisal, PhD and accreditation rules have for years favoured publication in listed or indexed journals, Indian researchers have often been targeted. In the UGC-CARE era, cloned copies of listed journals were a well-known problem, and the UGC-CARE website carried information about cloned titles. Now that the UGC-CARE listing has been discontinued and the list archived for reference, checking against official index records and the journal’s own identity is more important still. Keep that habit even when a journal looks familiar.

• For appraisal, PhD or accreditation, a paper appearing in a hijacked journal cannot be claimed in good faith as a publication of the real journal.
• For each paper, keep an evidence file with dates: the official record, the website that matched, and the acceptance and payment paperwork.
• Our cloned journal alert gives UGC-CARE-related background together with the official cloned-journal lists.

Safe Search Habits

• Do not begin with a search engine; begin with an official record. Find the journal in Scopus Sources, the Master Journal List, the ISSN Portal or DOAJ, then visit the website that record gives.
• Pass over sponsored results for journal names; anyone is able to buy adverts.
• Bookmark the genuine site after you have verified it, and make every submission from that bookmark.
• Treat long journal lists with suspicion on unknown websites that point to “indexed journals”; such lists can lead to clones.
• Ask a colleague who has published there which website and email address they used.

If Your Name Appears on a Clone Site

Hijackers sometimes lift real editorial boards and author lists to appear trustworthy. If your name turns up on a website that you never agreed to work with:

1. Take screenshots and note the web address and the date.
2. Write to the site asking for your name to be removed, and keep a copy.
3. Let your institution know, and also the real journal if the site is posing as one.
4. Send a report on the site to hijacked-journal trackers, which helps warn others.
5. Revise your own profiles, such as ORCID and your institutional page, so they list only journals you truly serve.

If You Edit a Journal That Has Been Hijacked

Planning to launch a journal? Our guide on how to start a new journal and register Crossref DOIs explains the identity and metadata groundwork that lets people verify a journal easily.

For Librarians and Research Offices

How to Verify the Genuine JMVRA Website

Any well-known journal can be imitated, and JMVRA is no exception. Here are the official details to compare against:

Your Anti-Hijacking Checklist

1. Official recordThe journal appears in Scopus Sources, the Master Journal List or the ISSN Portal
2. Website matchYour current URL is the one in the record
3. Board checkedTwo or three members confirmed on your own
4. Domain ageRegistration date agrees with the journal’s history
5. DOIs resolveArticle DOIs lead to the real site
6. Trackers consultedAbsent from the hijacked-journal list; no warnings found

Protecting Yourself From Cloned Journal Sites and Fake Invitations

Cloned journals copy genuine names and designs to collect fees or manuscripts. A little scepticism and a few verification habits will keep your work and money safe from impersonators.

• Never trust links in emails. Open a fresh browser window and type the address yourself, or reach the journal through the publisher's known channels. Links in unsolicited messages may lead to copies.
• Compare the contact details. Check that email addresses, domain names and publisher details match across independent sources. Free webmail addresses for an official journal office are a warning sign.
• Slow down when pressed for money. Urgent payment demands, unusual accounts or requests to avoid official channels should halt you immediately. A genuine journal explains its charges and gives you time to verify them.
• Report suspicious sites. If you find a clone, tell the genuine journal, your library and your institution. Reporting helps other scholars avoid the same trap.

Reach journals only through addresses you have verified yourself, and stop at once if payment requests feel rushed or unusual.

Questions Researchers Often Ask

In Summary

Journal hijacking works because it plays on trust: in a familiar name, in search rankings and in a polished website. None of these can safely be relied on.

The defence is easy to state but must be applied consciously every time: do not trust one search result, match the website with the official ISSN and index records, check the editorial board independently, examine DOIs and domain history, and consult hijacked-journal trackers. A ten-minute check is much cheaper than losing your research, your money and your academic credit. Making these checks routine turns them into second nature.

References and Sources

• Retraction Watch Hijacked Journal Checker
• Scopus Sources page
• Clarivate Master Journal List
• ISSN Portal
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)