Fraudulent “Publication Offers” and Fake Acceptance Letters Targeting OLJ Authors

The Online Learning Journal (OLJ) has become aware of fraudulent emails, graphics, and documents circulating that falsely claim to represent OLJ and solicit article processing charges (APCs) from authors.

These messages are scams. They are not affiliated with OLJ or the Online Learning Consortium in any way.

What we are seeing

Authors have reported:

• “Limited-time offers,” holiday discounts, or urgency-based APC requests

• Claims of priority handling, guaranteed publication dates, or “special issues”

• Fake acceptance letters using OLJ branding and the name of the Editor-in-Chief 

• Requests for payment via email, third-party links, or unfamiliar domains

• Promotional graphics advertising APC discounts (e.g., “50% Christmas Offer”)

These materials are designed to appear legitimate by copying OLJ’s name, indexing status, and leadership—but they are fabricated.

Please note the following facts about OLJ

• OLJ is an open-access journal and we do not charge APCs

• OLJ does not send promotional offers, discounts, or time-limited APC campaigns

• OLJ does not guarantee acceptance, fast-track publication, or priority handling in exchange for payment

• All official OLJ correspondence comes through our manuscript submission system or from one of the editors listed on our Editorial Team page

If you receive an email or document claiming:

• Your article has already been accepted without peer review

• You must act quickly to secure publication

• You must pay an APC via email instructions

Do not respond, do not click links, and do not send payment.

What to do if you receive a suspicious message

1. Do not engage with the sender

2. Save the email or document

3. Report it to OLJ by forwarding it to the journal’s official contact address

4. If payment information was shared, consider notifying your institution and IT/security office

Our commitment

OLJ takes the integrity of scholarly publishing seriously and is actively monitoring and responding to these impersonation attempts. Unfortunately, journal identity fraud is a growing problem across academic publishing, and OLJ is not alone in being targeted.

We appreciate the community members who have already reported these scams and helped us warn others.

If you are ever unsure whether a message is legitimate, please contact OLJ directly before taking any action.

Thank you for helping protect the scholarly community.

Online Learning Journal Editorial Team