As a research author, do you find yourself asking ‘what is a predatory journal’ and ‘how to identify a predatory journal’? You’re not alone. In this era of cut-throat competition, authors are under constant pressure to publish their work. An author’s academic credibility as well as their ability to get funded is directly linked to the amount and quality of published data. This has, in turn, paved the way for a rise in the number of predatory/fraudulent journals, which lure authors into the trap of ‘fast and easy publishing’, only to disappoint them later. With the growth in the number of new journals every year, it has become more important than ever for researchers to know how to check predatory journals. This article explains how to identify a predatory journal and avoid falling into its trap.
What is a predatory journal?
Simply put, a predatory/fraudulent journal is one that claims to be a valid scholarly publication but misrepresents its practices. A term coined by Jeffrey Beall, ‘predatory’ journals are also often referred to as deceptive or pseudo-journals. They essentially exploit the open access model of publishing, where the author is required to pay a substantial amount of article processing charges (APC). Beall further went on to create and host a list of predatory journals and publishers that he believed were fraudulent, popularly known as the ‘Beall’s list’, however, this was eventually taken down.
How to identify a predatory journal
The question how to identify a predatory journal arises frequently in most researchers’ heads, especially researchers who are just starting off. Let’s look at some easy pointers that can help you understand how to check predatory journals and stop them from tanking your publishing goals!
- Tall claims about credibility: It is often hard for an author to determine a journal’s credibility based on the information provided on the website alone and stop predatory journals from luring them in. When struggling with how to identify a predatory journal start by looking for titles that make often-unrealistic claims about the quality of data they publish; this is one of the hallmarks of a predatory journal. This is done either by impersonating well-known high-impact factor journals or giving out a false citation metric that cannot be verified independently.
- No track of publication timelines: During a legitimate publication process, an author is required to upload their manuscript and all associated files via a standardized uploading system present on the journal website. This system also allows authors to keep a track of their publication process and know about the tentative timelines for the intermittent steps, such as preliminary acceptance, peer review and final acceptance. However, many predatory journals require authors to send their manuscripts via email instead of this standardized system and often do not have any processes in place to inform authors about timelines. This allows them to make unrealistic timeline promises, which should raise a red flag for those checking how to identify predatory journals.
- Missing data on website, targeted solicitation emails: It’s easy to learn what is not and what is a predatory journal by examining the journal website. Fraudulent journals usually do not have all the essential information on their website, especially data that is critical for authors to know, such as details regarding the members of the editorial board, peer review procedures, APC, etc. Often, the contact details mentioned on the website (location, phone number etc.) are also misleading or fake. Authors attempting to contact these journals via emails may also be subjected to targeted solicitation emails, inviting authors to submit by making claims and guarantees that are often too good to be true.
- No transparency in peer-review process: The lack of relevant information regarding the peer-review process on a journal website can be a red flag in itself. Some predatory journals refuse to divulge data about their peer-review process despite independent email enquiries from authors. This should set off alarm bells for those of you wondering how to identify predatory journals.
How to know if a journal is authentic
While the above pointers can help you answer, ‘how to identify a predatory journal and ‘what is a predatory journal’, it may also be helpful to know some simple strategies to validate authentic journals.
- Perform an independent search regarding a journal’s citation metric and check whether the journal is listed on external databases such as PubMed, Medline, etc.
- Check the legitimacy of the contact details provided and be wary of any discrepancies, such as different details seen on website versus emails.
- Get every parameter of the publication process verified by checking the journal website thoroughly or contacting the relevant personnel independently; pay special attention to information regarding the APC, peer-review process, and members of the editorial board.
- Check whether the language used is consistent and grammatically accurate across all the different mediums used, including previously published papers, data on the website, correspondence emails, etc.
We hope the tips provided in this article help you understand what a predatory journal is so you can protect your research from being misrepresented. After all, it’s always better to be safe than sorry!
Further reading:
- Assessing Journal Credibility | Emory Libraries. https://libraries.emory.edu/health/writing-and-publishing/quality-indicators/assessing-journal-credibility.
- Elmore, S. A. & Weston, E. H. Predatory Journals: What They Are and How to Avoid Them. Toxicol. Pathol. 48, 607–610 (2020).
- Richtig, G., Berger, M., Lange‐Asschenfeldt, B., Aberer, W. & Richtig, E. Problems and challenges of predatory journals. J. Eur. Acad. Dermatol. Venereol. 32, 1441–1449 (2018).
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