I’m been trying to expanding to my scientific literacy and that has involved looking at articles in scientific journals; i.e. the peer-reviewed literature. However, not all journals are trust-worthy. I would like to believe that academic search engines like Google Scholar would filter out “junk science” articles that I can’t rely on that always happening. So how do I spot “predatory” or “pseudo-journals”?
Sometimes, it’s quite obvious: “Answers Research Journal” makes it clear that they exist for creationist confirmation bias. This, however, isn’t always the case.
I also can’t always rely on a publication’s reputation. In that oh-so famous example, Andrew Wakefield exploited The Lancet’s venerable reputation to publish a fraudulent study with consequences that still reverberate to this day.
Thanks in advance.
The best have usually been around a longer time and have a reputation. Which ones do the pros cite?