Fake news, fake messages, satire and hoaxes have been around for a long time, but their spread has been rapid since the rise of social media. Everyone can post content on the internet nowadays. As a result, the boundaries between news, fake news and advertisements seem to blur. Beware of using fake publications and satire in science.
Not all journals pretending to be scientific act in good faith.
When you are searching for scientific articles in general search engines, you might end up on the website of a so-called predatory journal. These are journals that perform no or very bad quality checks in the form of peer reviews. Their aim is to attract authors who want to pay for quick publication of their articles. The websites of these journals sometimes have an amateur look, but often they are difficult to recognise as mala fide.
When in doubt, it is best to check for especially journals in the English language if the journal is included in scientific databases, such as Web of Science, Scopus or the Directory of Open Access journals. You can also check if the library has a subscription (digital or print) to the journal. If the journal does not tick these boxes, it does not have to be a predatory journal, but you must be more on your guard. Apart from the journal itself, you must always evaluate the contents of the journal article with the help of the tips in this guide.
Please ask the library when you remain uncertain of the journal's reputation.