Avoiding Predatory Publishers

"Predatory journals and publishers are entities that prioritize self-interest at the expense of scholarship and are characterized by false or misleading information, deviation from the best editorial and publication practices, a lack of transparency, and/or the use of aggressive and indiscriminate solicitation practices." (Grundniewicz, Moher, et.al., 2019)

Predatory publishers share common characteristics:

• Ultimate goal to make money - not to publish scholarly research
• Use deception to appear legitimate
• Make false claims about services offered (peer review)
• Unethical business practices
• Exploit the need for academics to publish
• No concern for quality of work published
• Do not follow accepted scholarly publishing best practices

These are common tactics of Predatory Publishers

• Establishing an online presence with web pages filled with bogus journals. On the surface, many of these websites appear to be legitimate. However, closer scrutiny reveals the articles to be plagiarized, completely fake or promoting unsound science that would not have been published in more mainstream journals.
• Advertising a bogus impact factor on their website and in emails to prospective authors. They can also list editors for their journals who either did not agree to be an editor, or use fake names to populate the editorial board.
• Advertising expedited peer review to get your article published quicker.
• Soliciting you to edit a special theme issue in your area of research. They use this as a way to convince you to recruit your colleagues.
• Engaging in questionable business practices such as charging exorbitant author publishing fees or failing to disclose cost of publication fees to potential authors.  

There are also now Predatory Conferences to be on the lookout for.

Journal Evaluation Tools

The following tools can be used to evaluate potential predatory journals.

All links open in a new window.

• Cabell's Directories Predatory Reports specialists analyze over 60 behavioral indicators, screening for everything from misleading metrics to irregular publishing practices. A complete record of when, what and why a journal is put in Predatory Reports gives users the ability to see deceptive behaviors first-hand and to make clear and safe decisions.
   
• Think. Check. Submit. helps researchers identify trusted journals and publishers for their research. Through a range of tools and practical resources, this international, cross-sector initiative aims to educate researchers, promote integrity, and build trust in credible research and publications. 
   
• The Journal Evaluation Tool, designed by Loyola Marymount University, is a rubric that helps faculty evaluate journals.
   
• The Publishers' Website Evaluation Tool from Himmelfarb Library at George Washington University provides a checklist of items to look for on publisher websites.
   
• Think. Check. Attend. is an initiative that aims to guide researchers to evaluate the legitimacy and academic credentials of conferences.

Potential Warning Signs

The following are common red flags of predatory publisher behavior:

• Journal's name suspiciously similar to a prominent journal in the field
• Outdated website appearance
• e-mailed invitations to submit an article
• No retraction policy
• Copyright information is lacking
• No ISSN

This handout from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Central Library provides a detailed list of things to look for and questions to ask about potential journals. Links open in a new window.

Red Flags: Know the Signs of Predatory Publishers

Rutgers University Libraries has created this handout on common features in emails from predatory publishers. It is collected from letters received by researchers at the Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies. Link opens in a new window.

A to Z List of Common Features in Emails form Predatory Publishers

This guide, unless otherwise noted, is derived from Predatory Publishing by Ruth Bueter, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library, George Washington University, and is licensed CC BY-NC.

Grudniewicz, A., Moher, D., Cobey, K. D., Bryson, G. L., Cukier, S., Allen, K., Ardern, C., Balcom, L., Barros, T., Berger, M., Ciro, J. B., Cugusi, L., Donaldson, M. R., Egger, M., Graham, I. D., Hodgkinson, M., Khan, K. M., Mabizela, M., Manca, A., … Lalu, M. M. (2019). Predatory journals: No definition, no defence. Nature (London), 576(7786), 210–212. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-03759-y