How to Identify Fake Academic Conferences: Evidence Before Payment

Resolve the organiser and the edition

Save the exact event title, dates, venue and organiser. Trace the organiser through independently found institutional or society pages where possible. Confirm that a named host acknowledges this particular edition. A polished page, a directory listing or a certificate design does not verify the event.

Investigate warning signs without treating them as verdicts

Unclear fees, unverifiable committee affiliations, conflicting dates, pressure to pay and unsupported publication guarantees deserve clarification. New domains can belong to legitimate new events; domain age alone does not establish fraud. Review timelines vary, so a fixed number of days cannot universally distinguish genuine and sham review.

For an affiliation claim, check the person’s institutional profile and seek confirmation through independently sourced contact information. For a venue claim, look for an official edition-specific announcement. Preserve discrepancies and the organiser’s response.

Verify the publication route separately

Ask what output is planned, who publishes it, which submissions qualify and what additional review or charges apply. Use the publisher’s own records to match the edition. A previous indexed volume does not guarantee this year’s output. Continue with the worked Scopus proceedings example.

Choose a proportionate next action

If the evidence is incomplete, ask a focused question and pause any decision dependent on the answer. If sources contradict a material claim, save both records and seek advice from your institution before paying or submitting. Avoid publishing allegations based solely on a screening flag.

Document what a tool can establish

Automated assessments can help organise evidence, but their coverage and limitations matter. Read ScholarVault’s SCVS methodology and retain the underlying sources. This article does not promise a universal audit time, a fixed review duration or a guarantee that an event is safe.

ScholarVault organises conferences as well as building research tools. Apply the same checklist to our events. For the broader listing problem, read the grey-zone explainer.