Predatory publishing is a harmful practice where fake or low-quality journals trick authors into paying to publish their work. They promise quick, open access publication but offer little to no real services in return.
Predatory publishing is a deceptive and exploitative practice that preys on researchers. These fake or low-quality journals promise fast, open access publication but often charge high fees while providing little to no legitimate services like peer review or proper editing. Essentially, they take your money without delivering the quality checks and professional support a real publisher should. This means good research can get buried in obscure journals with little impact, and even bad research can easily slip through due to a lack of proper oversight.
It's important to understand that while most predatory publishers share certain characteristics, some of these traits can also be found in brand-new journals or those from developing countries. You'll need to carefully examine each journal and use your best judgment to determine its quality. Also, remember that a journal's reputation isn't always a perfect reflection of the research it contains; there's plenty of excellent work published in lesser-known journals, and unfortunately, some questionable research can appear even in highly respected ones.
- Soliciting for articles or asking to serve on editorial boards
*Especially in the form of badly-edited emails
-High author publishing fees
-Little or no peer review of submitted articles
-Difficult to identify names and/or contact information for journal editors
-The website seems extremely similar to, but is not, the website of an established journal
From xkcd.com
-Is the website aimed at authors or readers? (Legitimate journal websites are typically designed with readers in mind first.)
-Is the journal's scope too broad?
-Are the images of high quality or are they distorted and fuzzy?
-Where is the journal indexed? (Note that newly created journals, even legitimate journals, cannot be indexed until they have been established for a few years.)
-What are the author fees? (Of course, many well-known journals ask for very high fees for open-access publishing. Talk to a librarian for information on free and low-cost OA publishing options.)
-Is there information on how the articles are preserved long-term?
-Can you easily identify the publisher?
-Is there a link provided to the publisher's website?
-Can you find the contact information for the publisher?
-Have you heard of the publisher before? (It is possible for major publishers to acquire sketchy publishers, such as Wiley's acquisition of MDPI, which remains a controversial publisher. )
Adapted from Shamseer et al. (2017). Potential predatory and legitimate biomedical journals: can you tell the difference? A cross-sectional comparison. BMC Medicine. 15:28. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-017-0785-9
-The cost associated with high publishing fees
-Your work may be subject to sub-par peer-review
-Your publication will have low visibility and get few citations
-Your article could disappear when the journal ceases to exist
-Serving on questionable journal boards will lower reputation
-Publishing in predatory journals could have an adverse affect on your professional reputation
Why search here? Publication opportunities in business and education fields, including information on journal scope, editorial policies, submission guidelines, and acceptance rates. Also identifies potential predatory journals to help researchers make informed publishing decisions.
Content type: Journal profiles (scope, guidelines, metrics), predatory journal lists and information
For assistance with evaluating journals, reach out to your LIAISON LIBRARIAN for:
-Reviewing email solicitations from editors or publishers
-Analyzing journals or publishers to see if they are predatory
-Recommend safe journals for publication
