A famed journal blacklist is dead. Long live a blacklist!

"Just as Beall compiled a 'blacklist' of what he considered to be the worst offenders in scholarly publishing, at least one group is working on a 'white list' of the best ones. And a directory of journals in Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain, and Portugal says which of 33 criteria for quality each one meets.

Such rosters will be an invaluable resource for scientists looking for outlets in which to publish their work. Yet it’s only half the picture. We need blacklists and white lists to guide the way.

For instance the 'Think. Check. Submit.' campaign, launched by a group including major publishers like Springer Nature as well as the Committee on Publication Ethics, offers researchers simple tips for vetting journals to which they’d like to submit their work.

Ultimately, as others have argued, we need lists that are as inclusive, comprehensive, and transparent as possible. They should not only be about open-access publishers, but about closed-access publishers, too. They should be global, and should clearly delineate which criteria each publisher meets or fails to meet."