Greetings, dear colleagues!
With you Vasyl Malets – Director of the “Academy of Articles” and author of an analytical column
"Journals That May Lose Their Indexing in Scopus".
Today marks the first issue of 2026, and it will be a landmark one.
This time, our list includes four journals and one fake case study that deceived more than 1,000 researchers from around the world.
In this issue, we'll take a look at:
– 1 journal (Q1), which is already exhibiting dangerous editorial practices;
– 2 Q4 journals, which operate under predatory/commercial publishing models;
– 1 example of a fake website, which misled more than 1,000 scientists from around the world.
Unfortunately, all of the publications on today's list are not isolated mistakes, but rather entrenched predatory practices:
mass-market publications without proper peer review, disregard for academic standards, and a focus not on science but on quick profits.
It is precisely these types of magazines that most often lead to:
– a waste of the authors' time and money;
– problems with the acceptance of articles;
– the risk that the journal will be removed from Scopus in the near future.
In this article, we’ll take a detailed look at each of these journals, explain exactly which “red flags” authors should watch out for, and why publishing in such journals in 2026 is a high-stakes game.
List of applicants:
1. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
E-ISSN: 2385-409X
🔗 Link to Scopus:
https://www.scopus.com/sourceid/21100466202
🔗 Magazine website:
https://farmclin.com/volume/1
Review:
The *European Journal of Clinical Pharmacy* was reinstated in Scopus in 2025 after having been previously deindexed. Immediately after its reinstatement, the journal began exhibiting a typical predatory model of operation, focused exclusively on mass publication of articles for financial gain.
Over the course of one year, the journal published more than 300 articles of questionable quality, which is an unusually high number for a publication with a stated clinical focus. At the time of this analysis, none of these articles were indexed in Scopus, and it is highly likely that they will never be indexed.
Even in the case of partial indexing, given the quality of the content and the editorial policy, such publications are highly likely to be deindexed during reviews, and the journal itself will be removed from Scopus again.
Magazine profile:
Quartile: Q4
Country: Kuwait
Topics: Clinical Pharmacy
Publication cost: 300 USD
Main violations:
the mass publication of articles without adequate length restrictions;
the virtual absence of peer review or its purely formal nature;
the low scientific and methodological quality of the published materials;
a discrepancy between the stated topic and the actual content of the articles.
Risk assessment:
Probability of a journal being removed from Scopus: 100%
Probability of articles not being indexed or subsequently being deindexed: 100%
2. Scientific Culture
E-ISSN: 2408-0071
🔗 Link to Scopus:
https://www.scopus.com/sourceid/21101061822
🔗 Magazine website:
https://sci-cult.com/archives
Review:
Scientific Culture is a journal that formally holds Q1 status in several fields, but its current editorial policy has long since ceased to meet that standard. The journal was originally positioned as a specialized journal on culture, history, and archaeology.
However, over time, the journal completely strayed from its academic path, opting for a model of aggressive commercialization. Currently, Scientific Culture publishes “everything on every topic” in large volumes, with no real restrictions on subject matter or quality.
The officially announced deadlines are a particularly alarming sign:
- Review — up to 1 week;
- publication — up to 1 month.
For a Q1-level journal in the humanities, such deadlines are incompatible with a genuine, thorough peer review process. The publication fee is 1,200 pounds sterling, which clearly indicates a focus not on science but on maximizing revenue.
Magazine profile:
- Quartile: Q1
- Country: China
- Topics: Culture, History, Archaeology
- Publication cost: 1,200 GBP
Main violations:
- a sharp increase in the number of issues and published articles;
- the virtual absence of proper peer review (unrealistic deadlines);
- publication of materials of low scientific quality;
- the systematic publication of articles that do not conform to the journal's Aims & Scope;
- the replacement of a journal's academic model with a commercial one.
Risk assessment:
- Probability of a journal being removed from Scopus: 100%
- The probability that articles that have already been indexed will be deindexed: 50–80%
⚠️ Key takeaway for authors:
This is a classic example of a journal that is still classified as Q1 on paper, but based on all behavioral and editorial indicators, is already in the critical-risk zone. Publishing here in 2026— a serious gamble with one's own scientific reputation.
3. MSW Management
ISSN: 1053-7899
🔗 Link to Scopus:
https://www.scopus.com/sourceid/5300152536
🔗 Magazine website:
https://mswmanagementj.com/index.php/home/issue/view/22
Review:
MSW Management began gradually increasing the number of publications as early as 2024, and at that stage, most of the articles formally complied with the journal’s Aims & Scope. In other words, the initial signs did not yet appear to be critical.
However, in 2025, the magazine drastically changed its business model and shifted toward aggressive commercialization. The publication began publishing articles en masse on a wide range of topics—from cybersecurity and IT to the arts and education—even though the magazine’s official focus remains management.
In fact, the journal abandoned its thematic restrictions and began accepting “anything and everything,” which is a classic sign of predatory transformation. The total number of publications in 2025 exceeded 300 articles, a significant portion of which are of low scientific quality and do not align with the journal’s stated scope.
Magazine profile:
- Quartile: Q4
- Country: United States
- Topics: Management
Main violations:
- mass publication of articles in 2025 (300+);
- the systematic publication of materials that do not conform to the Aims & Scope;
- low quality of articles;
- the virtual absence of a full-fledged peer-review process;
- the transition from an academic model to a commercial one.
Risk assessment:
- Probability of a journal being removed from Scopus: 100%
- Probability of deindexing articles published in 2025: 60–70%
⚠️ IMPORTANT WARNING: Fake journal websites in Scopus
We presented this case separately, not on the list of “teams at risk of relegation,” with one goal in mind— warn researchers.
The journal in question is *Advances in Consumer Research*
🔗 Official page on Scopus:
https://www.scopus.com/sourceid/11600153426
The problem isn't with the journal itself, but with the fact that a fraudulent publication scheme was built around it.
On Google, the first result for a search for the magazine is the website:
🔗 https://acr-journal.com
Right here on this website:
- More than 500 articles by researchers from around the world have been published;
- the ISSN provided, which appears to be correct;
- indexing in Scopus is stated;
- The publication fee is 500 USD;
- Only issues from 2023–2025—which in and of itself should be cause for concern.
🔴 Key issue:
This website has no connection whatsoever to the actual journal, which is indexed in Scopus.
Here's how we tested this in practice:
- Let's go to Scopus;
- Let's open the magazine Advances in Consumer Research;
- Let's move on to the indexed articles;
- Click on the publisher's link on the Scopus page.
- A completely different website opens—not acr-journal.com.
Furthermore, no article published through the acr-journal.com website,
NOT indexed in Scopus.
Another, very unpleasant point:
The Scopus page listed an incorrect ISSN, which made it much easier for the scammers to carry out their scheme. This was an error on Scopus's part, but it is precisely these kinds of mistakes that pave the way for abuse.
Conclusions
In this issue, we looked at several journals from different categories—ranging from Q4 to Q1—and also presented a separate case study involving a fake journal website that was actively misleading authors.
This analysis reaffirms a simple fact: neither a quartile ranking nor inclusion in Scopus, on their own, guarantees a safe publication. Even highly ranked journals can, at some point, stray from the academic path and begin operating solely for the sake of quick profit.
Most often, authors who need to get their work published quickly and who fail to analyze the journal’s track record, its publication volume, and its alignment with its Aims & Scope fall into this trap. In most cases, the result is the same—wasted money and time, and problems with getting the articles accepted.
It’s also important to keep in mind that in 2026, risks exist not only from the journals themselves but also from fake websites that masquerade as indexed publications. In such cases, even the presence of a journal’s page in Scopus does not protect the author from making a mistake.
That is precisely why, before submitting an article, it is important not to rush and to always thoroughly review the journal or consult with experts who work with publications on a daily basis and understand the real risks involved. A quick decision almost always ends up costing more than a thoughtful and well-considered approach.
If you plan to submit an article to Scopus or Web of Science and if you're not sure about the magazine, the best solution is— check it BEFORE filing.
The Academy of Articles will review your publication for free: We analyze the journal's indexing history, publication trends, compliance with the Aims & Scope, and the risks of de-indexing.
This helps you avoid wasting time and money and prevents problems with the acceptance of your publications in the future.
