Is This Conference Legit? A Source-Based Verification Checklist

Start with the event edition

Save the event title, dates, location and official organiser URL. Match these details across the programme, submission instructions and registration policy. A valid older edition does not verify the present one. A conference appearing in Google or a directory establishes discoverability, not academic legitimacy.

Use a checklist to expose missing evidence

Find the organising body and the community behind the programme. Check named committee members through their institutional profiles. Read submission review arrangements and the full fee and cancellation policy. Ask whether a programme exists for this edition and whether its subject scope fits your work.

Keep each answer with its source and check date. Use “confirmed”, “contradicted” or “unresolved” rather than converting the number of positive answers into a universal quality score. The Think. Check. Attend. checklist is a useful independent starting point.

Separate three evidence states

Attendance: the event’s identity, programme and arrangements. Publication: the publisher, output type and conditions for your submission. Indexing: a database record for the relevant published source and coverage period. Conference acceptance or a certificate does not establish the latter two states.

Worked example

An illustrative listing promises “indexed proceedings”, but only an older volume is available from the publisher. Confirm that the old volume exists; leave the new edition’s publication agreement and eventual indexing unresolved. Ask for the publisher’s edition-specific confirmation. If the organiser says it will submit proceedings for evaluation, record a planned submission rather than guaranteed inclusion.

Use tools without outsourcing the decision

This page is an editorial checklist, not a live automated checker. ScholarVault’s SCVS methodology explains assessment coverage and limits. Preserve official sources and unresolved questions alongside any tool result, then seek institutional advice where funding or appraisal eligibility matters.