Presenting at a prestigious conference is a good way to share your research and raise your profile in the academic community. But there is a growing problem to look out for—predatory conferences. Much like predatory journals, predatory conferences seek to obtain research funds while providing little of value in return. These conferences lack rigorous academic standards and are typically poorly organized. Attending a predatory conference is a waste of research funds, and organizing one can harm your reputation.

In this article, we give an overview of legitimate and predatory conferences, followed by warning signs that a conference or conference organizer might be predatory.