很多中国研究者是在投稿之后——甚至发表之后——才发现目标期刊上了预警名单。被预警并不等于这本期刊"不能碰"，但对正准备投稿的人来说，这是你能做的最重要、也最省钱的一次核实。这篇文章讲清楚：预警名单到底是什么、期刊为什么会被预警，以及2026年之后你该去哪里查。
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2026年，风险机制被并入新锐分区，首批约37本期刊被标注为"Under Review"——预警名单的形态变了，但逻辑仍在。
一、预警名单是什么
《国际期刊预警名单》由中科院文献情报中心（期刊分区表团队）发布，用来提示那些"具备风险特征、质量可能不稳定"的国际期刊。它每年更新一次。2025年3月发布的版本，是中科院官方发布的最后一版，适用于2025–2026年度。自2024年起，名单不再区分高、中、低风险等级，而是直接列出被预警的期刊与原因。
二、期刊为什么会被预警
预警并非凭印象，而是综合多项指标筛选。常见的风险信号包括：
1
发文量异常——单刊年发文量畸高，编辑与质控能力存疑。
2
作者国际化程度低——投稿来源高度集中，缺乏国际多样性。
3
拒稿率过低——近乎"来稿必收"，同行评审形同虚设。
4
APC（版面费）偏高——收费与其学术质量明显不匹配。
5
自引率过高——异常自引推高影响因子，引用行为不正常。
6
撤稿信息——撤稿率上升，或频繁出现数据、图像、署名争议。
7
超越指数等综合指标异常——多项数据偏离同类期刊的正常区间。
这些信号看似分散，本质都指向同一个核心问题：这本期刊的编辑与质量控制体系是否可靠。
预警标签不是对你论文的判决——但在投稿之前，它是你能买到的最便宜的一份"保险"。
三、被预警，就等于不能投吗？
不完全是。官方对预警名单的使用有几条重要原则，值得每位研究者记住：
三条官方使用原则
① 预警不是论文评价：它并不否定已在该刊发表成果的学术价值，只是提醒你审慎选择发表平台。
② 逐年独立，不可累加：不应把多年名单合并使用；曾被预警的期刊若整改达标，会在次年被移出，不再属于预警期刊。
③ 以官方/权威来源的当年名单为准：切勿凭一张过期截图下判断。
所以更准确的理解是：预警代表一种"尚未定性的风险状态"——期刊没有被数据库剔除，也没有被正式判定，但它的某些表现已经引起了评价体系的注意。
四、2026年的变化：名单去哪了？
这是当下最容易让人找错地方的一点。2026年起，中科院不再单独发布分区表与预警名单；接棒的第三方"新锐分区"把预警机制直接嵌入分区表，以"Under Review"标注取代独立名单，并进行动态跟踪更新。换句话说，你要查的不再是一份静态PDF，而是分区表里的动态标注。关于中科院停更、新锐接棒的完整来龙去脉，见我们的 中科院分区 vs JCR vs 新锐分区 一文。
五、不同阶段，该怎么做
| 你的处境 | 建议动作 |
|---|
| 准备投稿 | 务必先核实期刊当前的收录与预警/Under Review状态；若被预警，除非有充分理由，否则换刊。让研究契合度与出版伦理主导选择。 |
| 已投稿 / 审稿中 | 通常无需立即反应。留意是否出现异常的极速录用、沟通混乱、或明显不合理的流程——这些才是需要警惕的信号。 |
| 已经发表 | 预警不会追溯性地作废你的论文。保留投稿与评审记录；如需用于评职称/毕业，提前向本单位确认认定口径。 |
一句话总结
预警名单是风险提示而非黑名单。投稿前，用当年的权威来源核实期刊状态；被预警的期刊要有充分理由才投；始终让"契合度 + 出版伦理"而不是"影响因子"来主导选刊。
看懂风险信号，是选刊的第一步；把研究以最稳妥的方式送到最合适的期刊，才是真正的功夫。我们不代写论文，也从不承诺录用——Research Ramp 提供的是策略指导与编辑打磨。看一位研究者如何在两次拒稿后、19周内被SSCI Q2期刊接收 →，或了解我们的 投稿支持服务。
投稿前，先把风险排查清楚
与其发表后才发现踩坑，不如在投稿前花几分钟核实。免费工具随时可用；拿不准的选刊难题，也欢迎和我们聊聊。
Many Chinese researchers only discover that a target journal is on the Early Warning List after they submit — or worse, after they publish. A warning does not mean the journal is untouchable, but for anyone about to submit it is the most important, and cheapest, check you can run. Here is what the list actually is, why journals land on it, and — after the 2026 changes — where to check it now.
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In 2026 the warning mechanism was folded into the 新锐 ranking, with an initial 37 journals marked "Under Review" — the format changed, but the logic did not.
1. What the Early Warning List is
The International Journal Early Warning List is published by the CAS National Science Library (the ranking-table team) to flag international journals that show "risk features and possibly unstable quality". It is updated once a year. The version released in March 2025 was the last official CAS edition, applying to 2025–2026. Since 2024 the list no longer separates high, medium and low risk levels — it simply names the flagged journals and the reasons.
2. Why a journal gets flagged
Flagging is not based on impressions; it draws on several indicators together. Common risk signals include:
1
Abnormal article volume — an unusually high yearly output raises doubts about editorial and quality control.
2
Low author internationalisation — submissions concentrated from a narrow base, with little international diversity.
3
Very low rejection rate — near "accept everything", where peer review is effectively hollow.
4
High APC (article-processing charge) — fees that do not match the journal's academic quality.
5
Excessive self-citation — abnormal self-citing that inflates the impact factor.
6
Retraction signals — rising retractions, or frequent data, image and authorship disputes.
7
Anomalous composite metrics — Transcendence Index and related figures far outside the normal range for peers.
These signals look scattered, but they point to the same core question: is this journal's editorial and quality-control system reliable?
A warning label is not a verdict on your paper — but before you submit, it is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy.
3. Does a warning mean you can't submit?
Not exactly. The official guidance on using the list carries a few principles worth remembering:
Three official principles for using the list
① A warning is not a paper evaluation: it does not negate the value of work already published there — it reminds you to choose your platform carefully.
② Each year stands alone: do not merge multi-year lists; a flagged journal that rectifies its issues is removed the next year and is no longer a warning journal.
③ Rely on the current list from an authoritative source: never judge from an out-of-date screenshot.
So the more accurate reading is this: a warning marks an as-yet-undetermined risk state — the journal has not been removed from any database, nor formally judged, but something in its behaviour has drawn the evaluation system's attention.
4. The 2026 change: where did the list go?
This is the point most likely to send you looking in the wrong place. From 2026 CAS no longer publishes a separate ranking table or warning list; the third-party 新锐 ranking that took over folds the warning mechanism directly into the table, replacing a standalone list with "Under Review" flags that are tracked and updated dynamically. In other words, what you check is no longer a static PDF but a live flag inside the ranking. For the full story of CAS stepping back and 新锐 stepping in, see our CAS vs JCR vs 新锐 explainer.
5. What to do at each stage
| Your situation | Recommended action |
|---|
| About to submit | Verify the journal's current indexing and warning / Under-Review status first. If it is flagged, switch journals unless you have a strong reason. Let research fit and publishing ethics lead the choice. |
| Submitted / in review | Usually no need to react immediately. Watch for warning signs instead: an abnormally fast acceptance, chaotic communication, or a clearly unreasonable process. |
| Already published | A warning does not retroactively void your paper. Keep your submission and review records; if the paper is for promotion or graduation, confirm your institution's stance in advance. |
In one line
The Early Warning List is a risk signal, not a blacklist. Before submitting, verify the journal against the current authoritative source; only submit to a flagged journal with a strong reason; and always let fit and ethics — not impact factor — lead your choice.
Reading the risk signals is the first step in choosing a journal; getting your research to the right one, the right way, is the real work. We do not ghost-write papers and we never promise acceptance — Research Ramp offers strategic guidance and editorial refinement. See how one researcher was accepted by an SSCI Q2 journal in 19 weeks after two desk rejections →, or explore our Submission Support.
Screen the risk before you submit
Rather than discovering a problem after publication, spend a few minutes verifying before you submit. The free tool is always available; and if a journal choice has you stuck, we're happy to talk it through.
