Important Alert for Researchers: Verify Thematics Journals Carefully and Beware of Fake or Misleading Websites
Researchers, faculty members, PhD scholars, students and academic institutions should exercise extreme caution before submitting manuscripts, paying publication charges or sharing personal documents with websites using the name “Thematics Journals.”
There are currently multiple websites and web pages using similar names, domains and journal titles. This creates a serious risk of confusion for authors. Researchers may assume that every website carrying the words “Thematics Journals” is an official submission platform, when in reality different domains may serve very different purposes.
Our review found that one website using the domain thematicsjournals.org currently describes itself as an educational and informational portal for students and scholars and carries general articles and posts, including material unrelated to conventional journal publishing. Thematics Journals
At the same time, another domain, thematicsjournals.in, continues to display a journal-management platform with multiple journal titles, submission information and journal archives. Thematics Journals
Because of this confusing situation, authors should not assume that a website, agent, WhatsApp contact, email address or payment request is genuine simply because it uses the Thematics Journals name or displays an old journal title.
Researchers Should Be Extremely Careful Before Making Any Payment
Academic publishing scams have become increasingly sophisticated.
Fraudulent operators may copy:
- Journal names
- ISSN numbers
- Logos
- Old journal webpages
- Editorial-board information
- Previously published articles
- Indexing information
- Certificates
- Acceptance-letter formats
- Contact details
A fake or misleading publication website may look professional enough to convince an inexperienced researcher.
The biggest warning sign is often an unsolicited promise such as:
“Guaranteed publication in 3 days.”
“Pay now and receive acceptance today.”
“Scopus publication guaranteed.”
“UGC approved journal – immediate publication.”
“Send payment by UPI or personal bank account.”
Researchers should never rely on such claims without independent verification.
What We Could Verify About Thematics Journals
The domain thematicsjournals.in currently displays a number of journal titles, including journals in law, education, social sciences, economics, applied sciences, commerce, botany, chemistry, business management and other areas. The site also displays contact information for manuscript submission. Thematics Journals
However, the publication dates shown across individual journals are not necessarily current.
For example, the page for Thematics Journal of Social Sciences identifies its displayed current issue as Vol. 10 No. 1 (2024), published on 21 April 2024. Thematics Journals
The Thematics Journal of Microbiology page displays its current issue as Vol. 9 No. 1 (2025), published on 10 April 2025. Thematics Journals
This means researchers should carefully verify the current publication status of the specific journal in which they intend to submit instead of assuming that every journal in the group is actively publishing new papers in 2026.
Based on publicly accessible information, it would therefore be too broad to claim that every Thematics journal has formally stopped publication. What can be said confidently is that researchers should independently confirm whether a particular title is currently accepting, reviewing and publishing manuscripts before paying anyone.
Beware of Confusing Domains
One major reason for issuing this caution is the presence of different domains associated with similar names.
The thematicsjournals.org website currently appears substantially different from a conventional academic journal submission platform. It describes itself as a portal for students and scholars and publishes general content such as educational, research, business and digital-marketing articles. Thematics Journals
The site even published a 2026 page about promoting businesses to its audience, which further demonstrates why researchers should not automatically interpret every page using the name “Thematics Journals” as a scholarly journal submission portal. Thematics Journals
By contrast, thematicsjournals.in currently presents itself as a journal platform.
The existence of similarly named domains makes verification essential.
Do Not Trust Old Links Without Checking Them
Researchers frequently find journal links in old research papers, Google Scholar profiles, university repositories, ResearchGate records and academic CVs.
An article published several years ago may contain a web address that was valid when the article appeared.
That does not automatically mean that the same domain is still operated by the same publisher or serves the same purpose today.
Domains can:
- Expire
- Be transferred
- Be redesigned
- Change ownership
- Become blogs
- Become commercial websites
- Be duplicated
- Be imitated by third parties
Therefore, finding an old paper that references a particular URL is not sufficient evidence that the same website is currently authorised to collect publication fees.
Never Pay an Unknown Agent
Another major risk comes from third-party agents.
Researchers may receive messages saying:
“We are authorised representatives of the journal.”
They may provide an acceptance letter and demand payment through:
- UPI
- Personal bank accounts
- Wallets
- QR codes
- Individual payment links
Before paying, authors should contact the publisher through independently verified contact information.
Do not use only the phone number supplied by the person demanding payment.
A fraudulent agent can create an entire chain of fake communication—including an email address, acceptance letter and payment request.
Check the Actual Journal Issue
One of the simplest verification methods is to inspect the journal's issue archive.
Ask:
When was the most recent issue published?
If a journal claims to publish monthly but its latest genuine issue is two years old, that discrepancy requires investigation.
Also inspect whether recent articles have:
- Real author names
- Complete PDFs
- Publication dates
- Volume and issue numbers
- DOI information where applicable
- Consistent journal formatting
Do not rely only on a homepage saying “monthly journal.”
The actual archive is more informative.
Verify Indexing Directly
Authors should never trust an indexing logo displayed on a journal website.
A website may display logos for:
Scopus
Web of Science
DOAJ
Crossref
Google Scholar
or other databases.
These logos do not prove indexing.
Researchers should check the journal directly in the database concerned.
If someone claims a journal is Scopus indexed, search the current Scopus Sources database.
If Web of Science indexing is claimed, verify it through the Master Journal List.
If DOAJ membership is claimed, search DOAJ directly.
Never rely exclusively on screenshots sent through WhatsApp.
Verify the ISSN
The ISSN can help identify a publication, but even an authentic ISSN can be copied onto an unauthorised website.
Researchers should therefore check whether:
- The title matches the ISSN.
- The publisher information is consistent.
- The journal website corresponds with authoritative records.
- The publication frequency is consistent.
- The journal is genuinely active.
An ISSN by itself does not prove that the person collecting money is authorised to publish the journal.
Be Careful With “Guaranteed Acceptance”
Legitimate peer-reviewed publishing normally involves editorial evaluation.
No responsible journal should guarantee acceptance merely because a fee has been paid.
Researchers should be particularly cautious if they are told:
- “Acceptance guaranteed.”
- “No review required.”
- “Publication in 24 hours.”
- “Pay extra for Scopus indexing.”
- “Backdated publication available.”
- “We can add your paper to an old issue.”
Such promises can create serious academic and ethical problems for authors.
A researcher may lose money, but the consequences can extend further. A fraudulent publication could later be rejected by a university, employer, promotion committee or funding organisation.
Do Not Send Sensitive Documents Too Early
Some suspicious services request:
- Aadhaar cards
- Passport copies
- PAN information
- Institutional IDs
- Signatures
- Certificates
Most journal submissions do not require extensive identity documents at the initial manuscript-submission stage.
Authors should carefully consider why such documents are being requested and how they will be stored.
Never send sensitive identification merely because someone claims that it is necessary for publication.
Keep Evidence of Every Communication
If you are dealing with any publication service, preserve:
- Email messages
- Payment receipts
- Invoice copies
- Acceptance letters
- Submission acknowledgements
- Screenshots
- Manuscript IDs
- Reviewer reports
If something goes wrong, this documentation may be useful when contacting your institution, bank, payment provider or appropriate authorities.
Universities Should Warn Their Scholars
Research institutions also have an important role.
Universities and colleges should regularly educate scholars about:
- Fake journals
- Hijacked journals
- Fake conferences
- False indexing claims
- Predatory solicitation
- Publication agents
- Fraudulent acceptance letters
Young researchers are particularly vulnerable because academic pressure may encourage them to accept attractive offers promising rapid publication.
Supervisors and research cells should encourage independent verification before payment.
A Special Caution Regarding Thematics Journals
Researchers considering any journal carrying the Thematics name should verify its present status directly and individually.
Do not assume that:
an old publication proves present operation;
a familiar journal title proves a website is genuine;
an ISSN proves an agent is authorised;
a website accepting manuscripts proves that publication is active;
or
a payment request guarantees publication.
The publicly accessible pages we reviewed show that some Thematics journal pages display older current issues, while a similarly named .org site functions more like a general educational/content portal. Thematics Journals
That is enough reason for researchers to proceed carefully.
Final Advice to Authors
Before sending a manuscript or money to any website using the name Thematics Journals:
- Confirm the exact journal title and ISSN.
- Check the most recent genuine issue.
- Verify indexing through the official indexing database.
- Confirm that the submission website belongs to the legitimate publisher.
- Contact the journal independently.
- Avoid personal payment accounts wherever possible.
- Never pay simply because someone promises guaranteed publication.
- Keep copies of every communication.
- Ask your supervisor or institutional research office when uncertain.
- Stop immediately if different websites provide contradictory information.
Protect Your Research and Your Academic Reputation
Publishing a paper represents months or years of academic work. Researchers should therefore give the same attention to verifying the publisher that they give to preparing the manuscript itself.
A fake website can disappear.
A fraudulent agent can stop responding.
But the researcher may permanently lose the publication fee, manuscript, personal information and valuable time.
Please verify before you submit. Verify before you pay. Verify before you trust an acceptance letter.
For researchers encountering websites claiming association with Thematics Journals, the safest approach is to investigate the exact journal and current publisher rather than relying on historical reputation, search-engine results or messages from agents.
Share this warning with PhD scholars, supervisors, faculty members and research groups so that more researchers can protect themselves from fake, cloned or misleading journal websites.
