General advice
- Be cautious.
- Don't sign anything or send payment if you are unsure.
- Check with your faculty advisor or a colleague, then consider talking with University Legal Counsel.
If you are suddenly appointed an article to review without your consent*
- You are under no obligation to review something that you did not volunteer for.
- You may want to contact the publisher and tell them that you did not agree to a review and/or to not contact you again.
- You can add the sender's email to your junk/spam list.
If your name is misappropriated**
- Contact the journal/publisher immediately and ask that they take your name off of all of their materials.
- Make it clear in other venues that you do not associate with the publication.
- Check with your faculty advisor or a colleague, then consider talking with University Legal Counsel.
* Yes, this happens.
** Predatory publishers have been known to list peoples' names as editors, board members, or reviewers without their knowledge.