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Comparison

Thinkchecksubmit vs Doaj

Thinkchecksubmit lands on Depends, and Doaj lands on Worth it.

Doaj

doaj.org

Worth it
Confidence: Medium

Free, community-funded index that is the de facto whitelist for legitimate open-access journals . researchers, librarians and funders should use it.

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Thinkchecksubmit versus Doaj
CompareThinkchecksubmitDoaj
VerdictDependsWorth it
Best forAcademic authors choosing where to submitResearchers vetting open-access journals
Who it's not forAnyone shopping for software . nothing to purchase hereBuyers wanting a purchasable SaaS tool with support SLAs
PrivacyNo known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.⁹No public vulnerabilities found for DOAJ itself; a 2025 XSS CVE affects a third-party WordPress export plugin, not.
Support qualityNo evidence reviewedNo support quality evidence in sources
Public sentimentAcademics and librarians widely treat Think.⁴Researchers and librarians treat DOAJ as the free go-to whitelist for legitimate open-access journals, while some debate whether it carries the same weight as Scopus.14
Biggest gotchaPassing the checklist is not certification . users report still being fooled⁸Fake journals claim DOAJ indexing; always verify on itself, not the journal's site12

Pick Thinkchecksubmit when

  • Academic authors choosing where to submit
  • University libraries training researchers
  • Clinicians flooded with journal spam invites

When Thinkchecksubmit is not a fit

  • Anyone shopping for software . nothing to purchase here
  • Teams wanting automated journal vetting or APIs
  • Non-researchers; useless outside academic publishing
  • Buyers needing verdicts on specific journals

Pick Doaj when

  • Researchers vetting open-access journals
  • Librarians curating trusted OA collections
  • Funders checking OA compliance
  • OA publishers building credibility

When Doaj is not a fit

  • Buyers wanting a purchasable SaaS tool with support SLAs
  • Authors needing impact factors or citation metrics
  • Committees requiring Scopus/Web of Science prestige
  • Journals wanting quick, guaranteed indexing

Sources

  1. Think. Check. Submit. . homepagethinkchecksubmit.org
    official
  2. Journals checklistthinkchecksubmit.org
    official
  3. Books & Chapters checklistthinkchecksubmit.org
    official
  4. "Think. Check. Submit." to avoid predatory publishing . PMCpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    review
  5. Predatory Journals: What Can We Do to Protect Their Prey? . JAMAjamanetwork.com
    review
  6. Predatory journals: what can we do to protect their prey? . The Lancetthelancet.com
    review
  7. How can you identify predatory journals? . Reddit, r/AskAcademiareddit.com
    review
  8. Think you're outsmarting Predatory Journals? . Facebook postfacebook.com
    review
  9. Product security pagethinkchecksubmit.org
    security
  10. DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journalsdoaj.org
    official
  11. DOAJ Application Guide for OJS Journals - PKP Docsdocs.pkp.sfu.ca
    official
  12. Some journals say they are indexed in DOAJ but they are notblog.doaj.org
    official
  13. DOAJ supporter modelsdoaj.org
    official
  14. A Review of the Directory of Open Access Journalsdcdm.doody.com
    review
  15. Are Scopus and DOAJ indexed journals credible . Reddit r/academiareddit.com
    review
  16. DOAJ, a real whitelist?researchgate.net
    review