Choosing and Evaluating Scholarly Conferences

Not every unfamiliar conference is questionable, and no single warning sign proves that a conference is deceptive.
Before submitting an abstract, paying a registration fee, or accepting an invitation to speak, look at the conference as a whole: its organizer, history, program, speakers, peer-review process, venue, fees, and claims about publication or indexing.

Before You Commit

Conferences can provide valuable opportunities to share research, learn about developments in your field, and build professional relationships. An invitation, however, should be evaluated before you submit an abstract, register, make travel arrangements, or agree to serve as a speaker or committee member.

Start with the conference itself

Does the conference fit your field and the audience you want to reach?
Is the sponsoring society, university, professional association, or other organizer clearly identified?
Has the conference been held previously?
Have trusted colleagues attended, presented, or served in leadership roles?
Are the dates, venue, registration fees, deadlines, and refund policies clear?

Then look beyond its own website

Search independently for the organizer and previous meetings.
Confirm the meeting through the sponsoring society or organization's official website.
Verify prominent speakers rather than assuming names and photographs are being used with permission.
Check whether previous programs, abstracts, or proceedings can be located.

A useful starting point: Think. Check. Attend. provides a checklist specifically designed to help researchers evaluate conferences before submitting or registering.

How Do I Evaluate a Conference?

Look for evidence that the meeting is organized around scholarly exchange rather than primarily around collecting registration or presentation fees.

Organizer: Is there a recognizable scholarly society, academic institution, professional association, or established conference organization behind the meeting?
History: Can you find evidence of previous meetings, programs, presenters, or proceedings?
Scope: Is the subject focused enough to represent a credible scholarly community, or does one meeting appear to cover an implausibly broad collection of unrelated disciplines?
Program: Are the agenda, session topics, keynote speakers, scientific/program committee, and important dates clearly described?
Review: If abstracts are accepted, does the conference explain how submissions are evaluated?
Venue: Is the location specific and independently verifiable?
Fees: Are registration, presentation, publication, and other charges disclosed before submission or registration?
Contact information: Can you identify and verify the people or organization responsible for the meeting?

Warning Signs of a Predatory or Questionable Conference

The term predatory conference is commonly used for meetings that use deceptive or misleading practices primarily to generate registration, presentation, or other fees. One characteristic alone does not establish that a conference is predatory or deceptive. Multiple concerns, particularly when information cannot be independently verified, should prompt closer investigation.

Unsolicited emails containing excessive praise or invitations unrelated to your area of expertise.
An invitation to be a keynote speaker, session chair, or organizing committee member despite having no relationship with the meeting.
A conference name that closely resembles that of an established professional society or well-known meeting.
An unusually broad program covering many unrelated disciplines.
Very rapid abstract acceptance or little evidence of meaningful review.
Pressure to register or pay immediately, especially before program details are available.
High or poorly explained fees, hidden charges, or unclear cancellation/refund policies.
Speaker or committee names that cannot be confirmed independently.
Changing, vague, or unverifiable venue information.
Claims of guaranteed publication, indexing, impact factors, or database inclusion that cannot be verified.

A 2022 systematic scoping review found that frequently reported characteristics included spam invitations with flattering language, unknown organizers, high fees, limited peer review, and very broad multidisciplinary scope.¹ A review in Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology discusses predatory journals and conferences as related threats to clinicians and scientists and emphasizes their educational and ethical implications.²

Verify! Don't Just Trust the Invitation

A polished website is not evidence by itself that a conference is legitimate. Verify important claims independently.

Professional society sponsorship: Go directly to the society's official website and locate the conference there.
Speakers and committee members: Look at institutional profiles or other reliable sources to confirm their participation when necessary.
Venue: Confirm that the hotel, convention center, university, or other venue exists and that the conference information is plausible.
Indexing: If conference proceedings are said to be indexed in a database, search the database itself rather than relying on the conference's logo or claim.
Proceedings publisher: Identify who will publish the proceedings and review that publisher separately.

Abstracts, Proceedings, and Publication Claims

Submitting an abstract may lead to more than a conference presentation. Some conferences publish abstracts or full papers in proceedings, journals, or supplements. Before submitting, determine what will happen to your work.

Will the abstract or paper be published? If so, where?
Will the published version be peer reviewed?
Are there additional publication fees?
Who owns the copyright?
Will publication affect your ability to submit a full manuscript to a journal later?
Does the conference accurately describe where its proceedings are indexed?

Think. Check. Attend.'s conference checklist specifically recommends checking where proceedings will be published and distinguishing between an indexer's guaranteed inclusion and a publisher's intention merely to submit proceedings for evaluation.

Conference Invitations: Questions to Ask Yourself

Why was I invited?
Does the invitation refer accurately to my research and expertise?
Would I have considered this conference if I had not received the email?
Do people I trust in my discipline recognize the meeting or its organizer?
Can I independently verify the claims that matter to my decision?

Remember: A conference can be new, small, interdisciplinary, or commercially organized and still be legitimate. The goal is not to reject unfamiliar meetings automatically; it is to make an informed decision based on transparent and verifiable information.

Selected Resources

Not Sure About a Conference? Ask the Library.

If you receive an invitation and are uncertain about the conference, contact your MUSM Library Liaison. We can help investigate the organizer, verify claims, and evaluate the conference before you submit an abstract or pay a fee.

For questions about selecting a journal, see Choosing and Evaluating Scholarly Journals.