Tips for Choosing a Legitimate Open Access Journal 

The internet has undeniably brought about global change in the past three decades by democratizing access to information. It dismantled geographical and socio-economic barriers, fostering the Open Access movement that promotes wider readership and collaboration among researchers, academicians, and scientists. Through free access and non-exclusive usage rights, open access journals expanded the reach and rate of impact of research beyond limited or specialized audiences.  

Yet, the swift rise of scholarly open access journals has also attracted unscrupulous actors, who see it as a lucrative business opportunity. These predatory publishers employ unethical business practices, solely driven by profit, to take advantage of researchers and scientists. Through email invitations they pursue and solicit articles, offering publication with alleged peer reviews and oversight by an editorial board. A study of Open Access articles showed that over four years, between 2010 and 2014, the publication volume of predatory journals grew by almost 800%.¹

Several instances have come to light where researchers submitted their work to seemingly legitimate publishers, factoring in the time needed for peer review. To their surprise, the articles were swiftly published without any review feedback or comments. Additionally, they were unexpectedly charged for the review process and website maintenance, expenses not disclosed initially. Naturally, this left them feeling deceived and associated with something lacking credibility. Academics need to be vigilant about such scams and safeguard themselves against falling victim to these deceptive practices by predatory publishers. 

Assessing the Credibility of Open Access Journals: Key Guidelines

1. Background and history: Prior to submitting your work, ensure you examine the open access journal’s context and origin. Established publishers often boast a substantial history and host quality articles in their repositories. While newer open access journals lack a long history, the quality of their articles can be a measure of their legitimacy.  
2. Affiliations with Institutions: Does the open access journal operate independently, or does it hold affiliations with recognized organizations and institutions? Publishers aligned with reputable institutions often signal the journal’s credibility. Nonetheless, it is advisable to conduct thorough research that goes beyond the affiliation information presented on the website.  
3. Grasping the Peer Review Approach: Before releasing an article, a legitimate publisher ensures its merit through peer review, a cornerstone of an open access journal’s credibility. Do examine the publisher’s peer review policy to gauge whether they adhere to a rigorous and transparent procedure. In such matters, taking shortcuts typically leads to dead ends. 
4. The editorial board: Is the editorial board what it is made out to be? Frequently, predatory publishers falsely list reputable names on their editorial boards, even if they are not genuinely involved. Do not hesitate to reach out to the board members to confirm the journal’s legitimacy. 
5. Journal’s Influence: Are fellow researchers and peers referencing the journal, recognizing it as a trustworthy information source? Furthermore, another reliable gauge is consulting reputable citation databases such as CiteScore, SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), and Journal Impact Factor (JIF)³. The assessment of the impact of the open access journal can be made through dependable data. 

Identifying Predatory Publishers: Warning Signs to Look Out For

1. Intense Pursuit: Predatory publishers are often driven by rapid financial gains, explaining their relentless pursuit of researchers and academics. If you encounter aggressive solicitation from an open access journal, assess the true intention behind their pursuit. 
2. Offer of Expedited Publication: As a researcher, you understand the importance of time in writing a research paper. Hastening through a process like peer review, which inherently demands meticulous assessment, doesn’t make sense. If an open access journal guarantees swift reviews and rapid article publication, it is best to hit the stop button. 
3. Unpolished Website: Exercise caution if the publisher’s website is riddled with grammatical and spelling errors, looks outdated, or appears to be in need of an urgent overhaul. It has been noticed that unethical players often lack the fundamentals of publishing. 

The significance of choosing a reputable and ethical open access journal cannot be overstated. Staying vigilant and cautious while seeking journals to publish your work is paramount. After all, you aim to share your diligent efforts with those who genuinely appreciate them rather than with those who view it as another opportunity for quick financial gain. 

References: 

1. “Predatory’ open access: a longitudinal study of article volumes and market characteristics’ – Cenyu Shen & Bo-Christer Björk – https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-015-0469-2# ‘ 
2. Investigating journals: The dark side of publishing’ – Declan Butler – https://www.nature.com/articles/495433a 
3. Measuring a journal’s impact – Elsevier –  https://www.elsevier.com/authors/tools-and-resources/measuring-a-journals-impact, https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/running-head 

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