Avoid Predatory Journals

Key Takeaways

1. Predatory journals are entities that exploit authors by charging fees without providing their promised benefits and services, like editorial support and peer review.

2. They often promise rapid publication at a low cost, but they lack the quality and integrity of trusted journals.

3. To avoid predatory journals, carefully evaluate email invitations to publish and journal websites for potential warning signs of predatory tactics.

4. Thoroughly research and verify a journal's claims and reputation before submitting.

Predatory journals take advantage of open access publishing by claiming to be legitimate open access journals who are using what it sometimes called the "author pays" funding model—where authors or their institutions/funders pay an upfront fee to make their work freely available to all. As a result, predatory publishing has been frequently conflated with open access publishing.

Predatory journals take advantage of the pressure to publish researchers experience in the "publish or perish" culture of academia, where publication is needed in order to advance their careers. When researchers perceive that quantity is valued over quality, they may rush to publish without thoroughly vetting journals. However, publishing in predatory journals can have negative impacts for authors, including:

• Receiving little to no peer review or editorial support

• Receiving little to no attention for their work, which may be difficult to find

• No long-term preservation of their work, which could disappear when a predatory publisher folds

• Damages to their reputations or careers

Due to their relatively limited publishing experience, early-career researchers are at particular risk of falling victim to publishing scams.