Barw Barw Medical Journal 2960-1959 2026 05 02 Non-Recommended Publishing Lists: Strategies for Detecting Deceitful Journals 13 21 10.58742/bmj.v4i1.227 eng Fahmi H. Kakamad College of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Sulaimani, Madam Mitterrand Street, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. fahmi.hussein@univsul.edu.iq Shvan H. Mohammed Kscien Organization for Scientific Research (Middle East Office), Hamdi Street, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. shvanh80@gmail.com Berun A. Abdalla Department of Scientific Affairs, Smart Health Tower, Madam Mitterrand Street, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. berun.anwer95@gmail.com Dahat A. Hussein Department of Laboratory, Smart Health Tower, Madam Mitterrand Street, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. dahat.abdulla18@gmail.com Zuhair D. Hammood Department of Surgical Oncology, Tikrit Teaching Hospital, College of Medicine Street, Tikrit, Saladin, Iraq. Zuhairdh86@gmail.com Suhaib H. Kakamad Research Center, Qaiwan International University, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. suhaib.kakamad@gmail.com Diyar A. Omar Medical Laboratory Technology, Shaqlawa Technical College, Erbil Polytechnic University, Erbil, Iraq . diyar.omar@gmail.com Kayhan A. Najar Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Smart Health Tower, Madam Mitterrand Street, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. kayhan.najar@gmail.com Sami S. Omar Faculty of Medicine, Koya University, Koya City, Erbil, Iraq. sami.omar@gmail.com Mohammed Q. Mustafa Doctoral School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary. mohammed.mustafa@gmail.com Ayman M. Mustafa Department of Scientific Affairs, Smart Health Tower, Madam Mitterrand Street, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. aymanmajid74@gmail.com Hawkar A. Nasralla Department of Scientific Affairs, Smart Health Tower, Madam Mitterrand Street, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. hawkar.arf966@gmail.com Ameer M. Salih Kscien Organization for Scientific Research (Middle East Office), Hamdi Street, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. ameer.salih@univsul.edu.iq Meer M. Abdulkarim Department of Scientific Affairs, Smart Health Tower, Madam Mitterrand Street, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. meermohammedabdulkarim99@gmail.com 2026 03 15 The rapid growth of open access publishing (OAP) has significantly improved the accessibility and dissemination of scientific knowledge. However, this expansion has also contributed to the emergence of non-recommended journals (NRJs) and non-recommended publishers (NRPs) that exploit researchers by offering rapid publication without maintaining proper peer-review standards. Such practices threaten the credibility of scholarly communication and may lead to the dissemination of low-quality or unreliable research. In response to this challenge, several initiatives have developed lists and monitoring systems to help researchers identify potentially NRJs. This study reviews major NRPs and NRJs evaluation platforms, including Beall’s List, Cabells’ Predatory Reports, Kscien’s List, Predatory Reports, Academic Journal Predatory Checking (AJPC), the Early Warning List of International Journals, Kanalregister, the Open Access Journal List, the Journal Insights Predatory List, and the International Journals Blacklist. The review examines their objectives, operational approaches, strengths, and limitations in identifying deceptive publishing practices. The findings indicate that while these lists serve as useful preliminary screening tools, they vary in transparency, accessibility, evaluation criteria, and governance structures. Some rely on expert assessment, whereas others apply automated or bibliometric methods. Despite their usefulness, no single list can comprehensively identify all NRJs, and misclassification may occur. Therefore, researchers should use these tools cautiously and combine them with independent evaluation of journal credibility to ensure responsible publishing and maintain the integrity of scientific communication.