1. Stay calm and assess the situation

Take a step back and carefully review the facts. Ask yourself:

  • Is this clearly a predatory journal?
  • Did I sign a contract?
  • Were any APCs paid?
  • Has the article already been published online?

2. Take action depending on the publication status

A) Immediately after submission

If you realize shortly after submission that the journal is not reputable:

  • Do not pay any publication fees (APCs)
  • Do not sign any contracts
  • Do not agree to additional publication terms

B) If the manuscript has been accepted

If your manuscript has already been accepted:

  • Refuse to sign any agreement
  • Request withdrawal of your manuscript in writing before online publication

C) If the article has already been published

If your article is already available online:

  • Request retraction in writing (even if the journal does not respond)
  • Do not pay any “withdrawal fees”
  • Keep all emails, contracts, and correspondence in case legal action becomes necessary

3. Seek advice

You can contact:

  • Your university library
  • Open Access or publishing support services (e.g., via institutional services or platforms such as oa.atlas or oa.helpdesk)
  • If necessary, your institution’s legal advisory services

These offices typically have experience dealing with such cases.

4. Consider transparency and possible republication

Carefully consider how you will present the publication in future applications or funding proposals. If you choose to be transparent—which is generally recommended—clearly contextualize the publication. For example, you may indicate that it has been retracted and explain that the submission was unintentional. Transparency is generally more appreciated than concealment.

Alternatively, you may substantially revise your article so that it qualifies as a new work. You can then submit it to a reputable journal. When selecting a new journal, use tools such as DOAJ, Think.Check.Submit., or B!SON. In this case as well, provide context: explain that an earlier version of the article was unintentionally submitted to a journal without proper peer review and was subsequently withdrawn. Make clear that the new version represents a significantly revised and improved contribution.

5. Learn from this experience

Use this experience to reduce future risks by:

  • establishing clear review procedures for your journal selection
  • consistently applying evaluation tools (as introduced in module 4)
  • raising awareness among colleagues and early career researchers

Last modified: Friday, 17 April 2026, 11:18 AM