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What Are Predatory Journals?
Predatory journals are entities that present themselves as reputable academic journals but use dishonest or unethical practices to collect fees from authors in exchange for publication in low-quality or non-existent journals. These journals often advertise an “open access” publication model in which the author of an article pays a fee to publish their manuscript in a journal; in return, the journal does not charge subscription fees or otherwise limit access for readers, theoretically offering much more widespread dissemination, readership, and/or citations of published articles.
However, unlike reputable open access journals, predatory journals often lack rigorous peer review practices, are not indexed in reputable databases, and/or have low editorial quality, among other major flaws. Predatory journals may have limited or no distribution and may even shut down or disappear without warning, leaving authors with nothing to show for the hefty publication fees they have paid.
Predatory journals use common tactics to attract authors. They may promise rapid peer review, short publication timelines, high acceptance rates, and wide distribution. They may also target authors directly via email and other electronic communications. Like many scammers, predatory journals often prey on novice academics, hoping to take advantage of a lack of familiarity with the publishing landscape and an inherent eagerness to publish their work.
Some predatory publishers and predatory journals do perform aspects of good academic and publishing practices, however the motivation of predatory publishers is always primarily monetary gain, usually at the expense of academic and ethical value. Predatory publishers exist along a spectrum, ranging from slapdash journals with uneven practices to downright con artists deploying lies and deception.
The Impact of Predatory Journals on Healthcare and Healthcare Professionals
For healthcare professionals, the potential damage caused by predatory journals is significant. The consequences can extend beyond the individual to the broader scientific community and even to patient care. Some detrimental effects of predatory journals include:
- Damage to Professional Reputation: Publishing in a predatory journal can tarnish an author’s reputation. Because predatory journals have flawed practices in terms of peer review and quality control, they are associated with questionable science. In addition, because predatory journals have a low bar for publication that involves the payment of publication fees, they may be viewed as a shortcut to publication, or worse, the purchase of academic accomplishment. This perception may hurt the perceived integrity of the scholars associated with them.
- Loss of Work: When authors submit their work to legitimate journals, they typically retain the right to use their work in other iterations and share it with colleagues freely. However, some predatory journals may use lopsided copyright agreements to take all rights to the work and restrict the author from using it in the future.
- Dangerous Misinformation: The absence of a proper peer review process significantly raises the potential for spreading misinformation. Predatory journals may publish flawed, biased, or even fraudulent studies, which can lead to the dissemination of flawed information within the medical community. This is particularly dangerous in fields like medicine and healthcare, where misinformation can have life-or-death consequences for patients.
- Waste of Resources: Research in healthcare requires significant time, effort, and financial investment. Predatory journals syphon valuable resources from researchers while contributing little to the academic community. Healthcare educators and clinicians, in particular, often have limited financial support for their scholarly pursuits and paying publication fees to predatory journals squanders this precious resource.
- Undermining Scientific Integrity: When predatory journals publish substandard research, they undermine the integrity of the scientific process overall. The publication of poorly conducted or biased research can lead to misinformation, which can undermine trust in other, more legitimate scientific outlets.
How to Identify Predatory Journals
Predatory journals have common characteristics stemming from their deceptive nature, dubious standards, and low quality. Some features that signify a predatory journal may include:
Low Quality Website or Articles
While a flashy online presence is not essential for every academic journal, be wary of journals and publishers that have particularly low-tech, poorly designed, or just plain ugly websites. These may include strange design elements, lack of professional logos, broken links, and empty or incomplete pages. Look for numerous typos or egregious grammar, especially for organizations that claim to be based in the U.S. or other English-speaking countries.
Questionable Contact Information
Predatory journals may have limited or ineffective contact information, usually in an attempt to make communication or accountability difficult. They may have addresses or telephone numbers that do not match the alleged location of the journal or its board members.
Impossibly Wide Scope of Content
Scammers like to cast a wide net and predatory journals are no exception. If a journal claims to accept articles from a wide range of broad or unrelated topics, consider this a red flag. Legitimate journals tend to focus on a narrow, organized, and/or cohesive scope of content to attract a dedicated readership and cultivate a focused expertise within their editorial boards and peer reviewers.
Unrealistic Publication Timeline
Predatory journals may entice authors with the promise of a rapid time to publication, often by limiting or entirely bypassing quality peer review. “Time to Publication” is a journal metric to consider when submitting a manuscript, but this number should reflect a realistic timeframe for thorough peer review. Legitimate journals may publish a much shorter “Time to First Decision,” which reflects articles that are either “desk rejected” or sent for subsequent peer review.
Guarantees of Publication
Every academic journal should thoroughly review submissions and carefully consider all aspects before agreeing to publish an article. Legitimate journals do not accept the vast majority of submissions; on the contrary, acceptance rates for most journals are quite low. Any journal promising that all or most of its unsolicited submissions are accepted is probably predatory.
Phantom Editorial Boards
The editorial board of a legitimate journal is a prestigious position sought after by clinicians and academics. Members of a journal’s editorial board tend to be prominent, well-published individuals in their respective fields. By contrast, the editorial boards of predatory journals may have red flags, such as fabricated members, members whose credentials do not match the journal, incomplete names or affiliations, or suspiciously small or large editorial boards. Sometimes, predatory journals use real experts who are not even aware their names are being associated with the journal.
Unrealistic and/or Unverifiable Impact Factor or Other Citation Metrics
Predatory journals grasp for the appearance of legitimacy anywhere they can find it. One way they try to blend in with reputable medical journals is by advertising an impact factor or other metric used to measure a journal’s frequency of citation. It is very unlikely that a predatory journal has an actual impact factor, let alone a substantial one, as these take years of consistent work to achieve. More likely, these journals fabricate their citation metrics knowing that many authors won’t bother to verify them.
Imitation of Reputable Journal Titles or Websites
Some predatory journals will closely mirror the title or web address of legitimate journals, hoping to cause confusion and attract submissions (and fees) from authors intending to submit to the more well-known journal.
Shady Publication Fees
Unfortunately, publication fees are a reality for open access publication, even in legitimate journals. However, predatory journals may have red flags related to their fees. These might include “up front” fees at the time of submission (rather than publication), fees with an unclear purpose, unusually high or oddly structured fees, or fees with unusual currency or payment methods (if a journal is asking for Bitcoin, run!).
Predatory Journal Emails
Because predatory journals typically lack the reputation and online footprint required to attract organic website traffic, they will often directly contact academics, clinicians, and other authors via email. These emails usually present the “opportunity” to publish in the journal or even join the journal’s editorial board. Similar to phishing and other scam messages, the emails from predatory journals often share several characteristics:
- Inappropriate or Overly Formal Salutations: Emails from predatory journals may contain errors in the greeting such as an inappropriate title (eg. misusing “Dr.” or “Professor”) or mispelled or incorrect names. The salutation may be overly formal (eg. “Dear Esteemed Colleague”) or otherwise betray a poor grasp of social norms in academic communication.
- Use of Flattery: Invitations from predatory journals may include excessive flattery (which may or may not have a factual basis). Emails may mention your superb reputation, impressive body of work, or “eminence in your field.” While you may actually be worthy of such praise, predatory invitations often seize on one or two accomplishments for the perception of authenticity. I published one article on HIV as a student over 15 years ago and I still receive emails mentioning my “impact on the field of HIV and antiviral research.”
- Sense of Urgency: Most scammers know that the longer you have to think, the greater your chances of seeing through a ruse. Predatory journal emails will often mention a time constraint or other form of urgency. In reality, invitations from legitimate journals will have a tight deadline only if there is a timely topic or a special issue with an upcoming deadline.
- Typos and Grammatical Errors: Like the websites and articles of their journals, predatory email invitations will often have egregious typos and awkward grammar. Whether it is because of inattention or a lack of familiarity with the English language, be wary of emails that don’t pass a proofread.
- Unrelated Subjects or Topics: As mentioned above, predatory journals often cast a wide net to ensnare authors. This means they will create publications that claim to cover every area of study imaginable, sometimes all at the same time. Invitation emails from these journals might mention numerous, unrelated topics, impossibly broad topics (such as “all natural sciences”), or topics that have nothing to do with the intended recipient.
You can find more information about the features of predatory journal emails in this interesting survey study published in The Oncologist.
How to Avoid Predatory Journals
Given the risk of reputation damage and monetary loss, healthcare professionals and other academics should invest time to identify and avoid suspected predatory journals. The following actions and resources can help:
1. Check for Indexing in Reputable Databases
Authors seeking to disseminate their work in the most effective and reputable journals should look for journals that are indexed in respected academic databases such as MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, or other recognized indexes. Journals indexed in these databases are subject to rigorous selection criteria, ensuring a certain standard of quality and credibility.
“Indexing” can be a confusing concept and authors should be careful not to use this catch-all term as a universal seal of approval. For instance, some predatory journals will claim to be “indexed” because they appear on Google Scholar, which does not have the same evaluation criteria and review process as a more stringent database like MEDLINE.
Additionally, every article that appears in the respected database PubMed may not actually be indexed in MEDLINE. It’s a confusing “set vs. subset” (square vs rectangle) situation; if you want to get deep in the weeds, check out this explanation. In short, appearing in PubMed is good, but check to see if a journal is also indexed in MEDLINE (there’s a filter you can use right in the Pubmed search function) before you fully trust its credentials.
If a journal is not indexed, this does not necessarily mean it is predatory (newer reputable journals might not have completed the indexing process yet), but it should raise your suspicion. In any case, use the additional steps below for a more thorough evaluation of your target journal.
2. Evaluate the Quality of the Journal’s Website and Content
As mentioned above, the quality of its website can communicate a journal’s legitimacy. Predatory journals’ websites often have poor design elements, spelling and grammatical errors, and disorganized or broken links. While a slick website does not guarantee legitimacy, a professional-appearing site is a good indicator that a journal is serious about its standards and scholarship.
In addition to the website, examine the quality of the articles published in the journal. Ensure they meet the high standards and rigor of an academic journal. Look for topics and research questions that are appropriate for the field of study. Inspect the methodology and transparency of the methods and results. Make sure articles fit a specific scope of practice and don’t imply a wandering array of unrelated topics.
3. Review the Editorial Board
Most journals list their editorial board members, who are typically experts in the field with a strong record of publication and scholarly contributions, on their websites and in physical formats. When reviewing a journal, check the credentials of the editorial board members. Are these individuals respected in the field? Can you find information about them through professional or academic networks?
Scrutinize the editorial board. Be wary of a board with a majority of members in different countries than the journal’s supposed headquarters. Look for incomplete credentials (such as a lack of full names or institutional affiliations) that make verification difficult. Look up the more prominent members on LinkedIn or university websites; most academics in prominent editorial positions will have the journal mentioned on their profiles, CVs, or lists of accomplishments.
4. Examine the Peer Review Process
Look for red flags in the peer review process. Legitimate journals should outline their processes with bias-limiting features such as single- or double-blinded review. Red flags include guarantees of publication or claims that all or most submissions are accepted; accepting fees to bypass editorial and peer review is also unethical. Look for signs of haphazard peer review such as an extremely short publication timeline.
Explanation of the peer review process in a legitimate journal may look like this:
5. Look for Hidden or Excessive Fees
Some legitimate journals use an open access model in which fees are paid by the author to avoid subscription fees or other paygates for readers. These fees can even be quite high. However, any legitimate journal should have full transparency in its fees and fee structure and should only accept payment for accepted and published articles.
Predatory journals may try to hide fees or cause confusion about when they are paid. Asking for a fee with submission or prior to acceptance is a major red flag. Look out for strange features such as paying fees in a variety of currencies or via untraceable cryptocurrency. Be wary of fees for vague or undisclosed expenses such as “handling” or “processing.”
6. Assess the Journal’s Impact Factor and Other Metrics
Impact factor is one of several metrics that is used as a surrogate to represent how widely a journal is cited and, in turn, how legitimate it is. Even respectable journals may struggle to obtain and increase an impact factor. Predatory journals will often advertise a false impact factor or other misleading metrics to give the appearance of legitimacy and to entice authors.
Impact factors should be calculated by reputable sources such as Clarivate Analytics, the organization behind the Journal Citation Reports (JCR). You can check an impact factor via JCR in your institution’s library resources. You can check other metrics, like H-index, through websites such as Scimago Journal Rank (SJR).
7. Use Additional Resources to Verify a Journal
Consider using some or all of these resources designed specifically to help researchers identify predatory journals:
- Think. Check. Submit.: This initiative provides a checklist for researchers to assess whether a journal is trustworthy. The checklist is available in multiple languages and is a great tool to incorporate into your manuscript planning and submission process.
- Beall’s List: Jeffrey Beall, a librarian at the University of Colorado, created a widely respected list of potential predatory journals and publishers. This list is updated regularly and is a foundational resource for researchers seeking to avoid predatory journals. Beall made the pursuit of predatory publishers something of a personal crusade and wrote some excellent insights about his journey in this article.
- The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ): The DOAJ is an organization that attempts to vet open-access journals for quality. They provide a searchable database of open access journals and allow you to filter them based on journals that have received their strict seal of approval.
8. Scrutinize Journal Invitations
When you receive a direct communication inviting you to submit to a journal, keep a high level of suspicion that it may come from a predatory journal. Look for the specific red flag features mentioned in the section above. Find the journal’s website and evaluate the journal as outlined in this article. Contact the journal’s editor or members of the editorial staff to ask for clarification and additional information about the invitation. Ask colleagues in your field about the reputation of the journal. As with all phishing emails, do not download any attachments or follow any links until you have established the legitimacy of the sender.
Luckily, there are plenty of legitimate, reputable journals waiting for your work! If you need help getting started on your next article, check out this helpful guide:
