Labeeb reference · every check traced to the index, the publisher body or the university’s own document · Last checked 29 September 2026
Journal Legitimacy Checker for GCC Researchers: 12 Checks Before You Submit (2026)
For faculty preparing a promotion file, PhD candidates with a publication requirement, and clinicians with a research gate. Answer 12 checks about a journal you are considering and get three lists: what you have verified, what still needs checking and exactly how, and any warning signs. The checker gives no verdict on the journal, runs in your browser and stores nothing.
Read this first: a checklist, not a verdict
No outside tool can tell you whether a journal counts for you. Your university’s or promotion committee’s own rules decide that. What you can do is check, one fact at a time, what the journal claims about itself.
- Check at the source, not on the journal’s own site. A logo or an “indexed in Scopus” line on a journal’s website is a claim. The record in Scopus Sources, Clarivate’s Master Journal List or the ISSN Portal is the evidence.
- Look-alike sites exist. Retraction Watch says hijacked journals “mimic legitimate journals by adopting their titles, ISSNs, and other metadata” (Retraction Watch). In January 2024 the Saudi Medical Journal told readers that a site was using its name and logo (SMJ).
- Most researchers have not been taught this. In a 2026 survey of 328 clinical and non-clinical researchers in Saudi Arabia, 17% said they knew how to spot a predatory journal, and 75% did not know whether “hijacked or cloned” journals count as predatory (BMC Medical Education).
- Answer “Not sure” whenever you have not checked yet. The results then tell you exactly where to look.
Free checker · runs in your browser, nothing is stored or sent
Journal legitimacy checker: 12 checks
Keep the journal’s website open in another tab, and use the official lookups below. Every check needs an answer; “Not sure” is always allowed.
Official lookups (free): Scopus Sources · Clarivate Master Journal List · DOAJ · ISSN Portal · COPE members · Crossref Search · Keepers Registry · Retraction Watch Hijacked Journal Checker
The results group your own answers. They never label a journal, never predict what a committee will decide, and always point you to your own rules and to Retraction Watch’s Hijacked Journal Checker.
Scopus, Web of Science, Arcif and the “Arab Impact Factor”: what each one is
Several of these names contain “impact factor” or “citation index”, and they are easy to mix up. They are run by different organisations, and your rules may recognise some and not others. Each card says what the service is and who operates it, from its own pages.
Scopus (Elsevier)
An abstract and citation database operated by Elsevier. Titles are selected and re-evaluated by its Content Selection and Advisory Board. When a title is discontinued, content already indexed stays in Scopus, and discontinued titles are listed in a source title list updated monthly (Elsevier). CiteScore and SJR are free at Scopus Sources; SJR is produced by SCImago from Scopus data (SCImago).
Web of Science Core Collection (Clarivate)
Operated by Clarivate and curated by in-house editors. The free Master Journal List shows which collection a journal is in (for example SCIE, SSCI, AHCI or ESCI) and is updated monthly (Clarivate). The Journal Impact Factor is published by Clarivate in Journal Citation Reports, usually reached through a library subscription.
Arabic Citation Index, ARCI (Clarivate)
A citation index of Arabic journals built by Clarivate, hosted on the Web of Science platform and funded by the Egyptian Government; Clarivate described it in 2021 as covering more than 400 Arabic journals (Clarivate). ARCI and Arcif are different services with similar names.
Arcif (Arab Citation & Impact Factor)
A rating of Arab journals whose website names the e-Marefa database as its founder. Its 2025 report covers 1,272 Arabic peer-reviewed journals, according to its site (Arcif). It is a regional rating with its own criteria; it is not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor.
Arab Impact Factor
A separate rating for Arabic-language journals, published at arabimpactfactor.com, which invites journals to submit for evaluation (Arab Impact Factor). A 2017 Natural Sciences Publishing conference page says the publisher NSP prepares it under the patronage of the Association of Arab Universities (NSP). It is separate from Arcif and from the Journal Impact Factor.
Why the difference matters
A journal can hold a real Arcif or Arab Impact Factor rating and still not be in Scopus or Web of Science, and the reverse. Neither situation tells you whether the journal counts for you. Read which indexes your own rules name, then check the journal in those indexes by ISSN.
What some GCC promotion rules say about journals
Three examples from institutions’ own documents, read on 29 September 2026. They show how specific the rules can be. They are not a complete or current register, and colleges can add criteria of their own.
| Institution | What the document says about journals | Source |
|---|---|---|
| King Saud University (Saudi Arabia) | Rule 29-a accepts research in journals listed in Web of Science (SCI, SCIE, SSCI, AHCI, ESCI), Scopus or PubMed; other journals count only if they meet listed criteria, starting with an editor-in-chief of at least associate-professor rank. Rule 29-c requires, in science and health disciplines, 50% of the minimum units or 50% of submitted works in ISI (Web of Science) outlets. Rule 31-a caps outlets from a single country at two units for associate professor and three for professor, unless they are ISI-listed. | KSU Scientific Council |
| Qatar University, Health colleges | All papers submitted must be published in journals abstracted in Scopus or Web of Science. No more than two papers may be in exclusively open-access journals that charge publication fees, except high-impact, reputable Q1 journals; hybrid journals are acceptable. | QU Health guidelines (16 Dec 2021) |
| University of Bahrain | Council Decision 1882/2012: open-access electronic journals are accepted provided the journal has a specialised editorial body and is issued by well-known specialised bodies, societies or scientific institutions. Only two articles from the University’s own journals count for promotion. | UoB Academic Promotion Committee |
Your own university’s current rules decide. PhD publication requirements are a separate set of rules; see our PhD publication requirements at GCC universities.
Acceptance letters, agents and look-alike sites
- Confirm an acceptance letter with the journal, not the sender. Use the contact details on the website listed in the journal’s index record. Forged acceptance letters sold by intermediaries are a known risk, so never rely on a letter you cannot confirm directly with the journal.
- Look for the published issue. A published article should appear in a volume and issue on the journal’s listed website, and its DOI should resolve through Crossref if the journal registers DOIs.
- Use your own institution’s guidance. Zayed University Library’s predatory publishing guide includes checklists for journals, books and conferences (ZU Library), and Qassim University’s Deanship of Scientific Research has published a page warning researchers about fake and pirated journals (Qassim DSR).
- Use the cross-industry checklist. Think. Check. Submit., a cross-industry initiative led by representatives of organisations including COPE, DOAJ and the ISSN International Centre, publishes a journal checklist (Think. Check. Submit.).
Reviewer comments back? Answer each one with our reviewer response template.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check whether a journal is really indexed in Scopus or Web of Science?
Search the title and the ISSN in Scopus Sources and in Clarivate’s Master Journal List; both are free. Match the ISSN, not only the name, and compare the website in the index record with the site you are on. For Scopus, also check the list of discontinued titles, because content already indexed stays in Scopus after a title is discontinued. A logo or an “indexed in Scopus” line on the journal’s own website is a claim, not evidence.
How do I check a journal’s quartile (Q1–Q4)?
Search the journal by title or ISSN on SCImago Journal & Country Rank (scimagojr.com), a free portal built on Scopus data. SCImago ranks the journals in each subject category by their SJR indicator for a given year and divides them into four equal groups, with Q1 the highest and Q4 the lowest. A journal listed in several categories can hold a different quartile in each, and the badge a journal displays shows only its best one. So check the subject category and year that your promotion or graduation rule refers to. Clarivate’s Journal Citation Reports publishes separate quartiles of its own, so confirm which system your rule names. A “Q1” claim from a journal or an agent is not evidence; the listing at the source is. [SCImago]
Is Arcif the same as the Impact Factor?
No. The Journal Impact Factor is published by Clarivate in Journal Citation Reports. Arcif is a rating of Arab journals whose website names the e-Marefa database as its founder. The Arab Impact Factor is a separate rating that, according to a 2017 Natural Sciences Publishing page, the publisher NSP prepares under the patronage of the Association of Arab Universities. Whether either counts for you depends on your university’s or committee’s rules.
What is a hijacked journal?
Retraction Watch describes hijacked journals as websites that copy a real journal’s title, ISSN and other details, usually without the journal’s permission. In January 2024 the Saudi Medical Journal reported that a site was using its name and logo. Compare the website in the journal’s index record with the site you are on, and search the title in Retraction Watch’s Hijacked Journal Checker.
How can I verify an acceptance letter?
Contact the editorial office through the website listed for the journal in Scopus, the Master Journal List or the ISSN Portal, not through the email address or phone number that sent the letter. Once published, the article should appear in a volume and issue on that website, and its DOI should resolve through Crossref if the journal registers DOIs.
Does this checker tell me whether a journal is predatory?
No. It sorts your own answers into what you have verified, what still needs checking and any warning signs. Your university’s or promotion committee’s own rules decide whether a journal counts for you. Nothing you enter is stored or sent.
How to cite this page (APA 7)
Labeeb Writing & Designs. (2026, September 29). Journal Legitimacy Checker for GCC Researchers: 12 Checks Before You Submit (2026). https://labeeb.ae/journal-legitimacy-checker/
Sources
Last checked: 29 September 2026. Index, publisher-body and university sources are the organisations’ own public pages and documents.
- Retraction Watch. The Retraction Watch Hijacked Journal Checker. https://retractionwatch.com/the-retraction-watch-hijacked-journal-checker/
- Alokaily, F. (2024). Saudi Medical Journal message. Saudi Medical Journal, 45(1). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10807677/
- Predatory medical journals’ awareness among clinical and non-clinical researchers in Saudi Arabia: a survey. (2026). BMC Medical Education. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13224599/
- Elsevier. Scopus content policy and selection. https://www.elsevier.com/products/scopus/content/content-policy-and-selection
- SCImago. Scimago Journal & Country Rank. https://www.scimagojr.com/
- Clarivate. Web of Science Master Journal List. https://mjl.clarivate.com/home
- Clarivate. (2021, March 4). The Arabic Citation Index: transforming local research into global impact [Blog]. https://clarivate.com/academia-government/blog/the-arabic-citation-index-transforming-local-research-into-global-impact/
- Arcif. Arab Citation & Impact Factor (home and “The Founder” pages). https://emarefa.net/arcif/
- Arab Impact Factor. معامل التأثير العربي (home page). https://arabimpactfactor.com/
- Natural Sciences Publishing. (2017). معامل التأثير العربي [conference page]. http://confs.naturalspublishing.com/iciaif2017/page.asp?pgid=194
- King Saud University, Scientific Council. Guide to the executive and procedural rules for promotions (rules 29-a, 29-c, 31-a; Arabic). https://sc.ksu.edu.sa/en/node/33
- Qatar University Health. (2021, December 16). Health Colleges academic promotion guidelines. https://www.qu.edu.qa/SiteImages/static_file/qu/offices%20and%20departments/VPAA/documents/QU%20Health%20promotion%20guidelines%2016%20Dec%202021%20(FINAL).pdf
- University of Bahrain. Academic Promotion Committee (Council Decision 1882/2012). https://www.uob.edu.bh/academic-promotions-committee/
- Zayed University Library. Predatory publishing [LibGuide]. https://zu.libguides.com/predatory-publishing
- Qassim University, Deanship of Scientific Research. (2020, March 9). المجلات الوهمية والمقرصنة (Wayback Machine capture, 2024). http://web.archive.org/web/2024/https://srd.qu.edu.sa/content/p/349
- Think. Check. Submit. Journals checklist. https://thinkchecksubmit.org/journals/
- COPE, DOAJ, OASPA & WAME. (2022). Principles of transparency and best practice in scholarly publishing (version 4). https://doaj.org/apply/transparency/
- COPE. Membership and Code of Conduct. https://publicationethics.org/membership/code-of-conduct
- SCImago Journal & Country Rank. Help: journal indicators and quartiles (checked 5 October 2026). https://www.scimagojr.com/help.php
Choosing between shortlisted journals? Chat with Labeeb about your manuscript and shortlist.