CAS Early Warning Journal List 2026: How to Check Before You Submit

Every spring, one PDF causes more panic in Chinese research groups than any reviewer report. The CAS international journal early warning list (国际期刊预警名单) names journals that the CAS National Science Library considers risky, and a growing number of universities and hospitals refuse to count papers published in them. This guide explains how the CAS early warning journal list works, how to check it properly before you submit, and what to do if your target, or your already-accepted paper, is on it.

With the CAS division table discontinued in March 2026 (see our guide to SCI journal quartiles for Chinese researchers), the warning list has become the sharpest quality signal CAS still issues. Ignoring it is now the most expensive mistake a Chinese researcher can make at the submission stage.

What the list is, and what it is not

The list is an advisory published by the CAS National Science Library. It is not a ban, and inclusion does not mean a journal is predatory or unindexed. Journals on the list are usually still in Web of Science or Scopus. The list flags patterns that CAS associates with weak editorial control. The criteria that have been cited publicly include very high publication volume, weak internationalisation of authors (often meaning an unusually high share of authors from one country), low rejection rates, high APCs, high self-citation, retraction clusters and evidence of paper-mill activity.

Earlier editions used tiers (high, medium and low risk). Recent editions have moved towards a single flat list with the reason for inclusion noted. Either way, the institutional response is what matters, and that is where the cost lands.

How to check the list correctly

1. Use the official platform, not a screenshot.The list is published on the early warning platform maintained by the CAS National Science Library (ewl.fenqubiao.com) and announced through the "期刊分区表" WeChat account. Forwarded images in group chats are often outdated or edited.
2. Search by ISSN, not by title.Several warned journals share words with reputable titles. The ISSN is unambiguous.
3. Check the edition date.Ask your graduate school whether the most recent edition or a specific year applies to your case. Institutions usually apply the list in force on the submission date, but some use the publication date.
4. Check your institution's supplementary list.Many universities and hospitals maintain their own "negative lists" (负面清单) that extend the CAS list with additional journals. The CAS list is the floor, not the ceiling.
5. Re-check on the day you submit.A journal that was clear when you started writing may have been added since.

Journals that have appeared on recent editions

The 2025 edition included titles across medicine, chemistry, mathematics, environmental science and engineering. Journals reported as listed include Heliyon, Soft Computing, Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy, Environmental Toxicology, International Journal of Surgery and Journal of Intelligent and Fuzzy Systems. Several of these are large, well-indexed journals, which is exactly the point. Being indexed is not the same as being safe for a Chinese career record.

Heliyon is a useful case. It was placed on hold by Clarivate in September 2024, published a large audit that resulted in 687 retractions, and had the hold removed on 14 May 2026, with a new impact factor promised for the October 2026 JCR update. Its Web of Science status has therefore recovered. Whether a Chinese university will count a Heliyon paper depends entirely on whether the journal remains on the warning list your institution applies. Two different signals, two different answers. Our sibling post asks directly whether MDPI, Frontiers and Heliyon are safe for Chinese researchers in 2026.

What to do if your target journal is on the list

If you have an accepted paper in a warned journal and the rule is clear, the paper may still be valuable to your CV and to international readers even if it does not satisfy a domestic count. Plan the next paper to satisfy the count, rather than trying to argue the last one in.

How the list interacts with predatory journal checks

The warning list is not a predatory journal list. Predatory journals are usually unindexed, invent metrics and skip peer review. Warned journals are usually indexed, run real peer review and simply do it at a scale or in a way CAS distrusts. You need both checks. Our pillar guide on how to identify predatory journals covers the first, and the free Predatory Journal Checker combines indexing status, DOAJ, Beall's archive and other risk markers in one screen.

A researcher in education who came to us after two desk rejections had originally targeted a journal that was later warned. Repositioning the paper for an SSCI Q2 journal with a clean record led to acceptance in 19 weeks. Read the case study →

Where this fits in your submission plan

Screening against the warning list belongs at the shortlist stage, not the night before submission. Build a shortlist of five journals by scope, screen all five, and keep the survivors in order. If your first choice desk-rejects, you move to the second without repeating the screening. Our Submission Support service includes this screening as a standard step, and the journal shortlist strategy guide explains the wider method.

Journal names and dates reflect public reports up to early September 2026. Always verify the operative edition of the early warning list on the official platform before submitting.

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