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Research Guides

Science Ethics

Resources on ethical matters in science including but not limited to: publication ethics; diversity, equity, and inclusion; social justice; data ethics; and university resources related to ethics. By Zachary Lannes and Yulia Sevryugina.

What is predatory publishing?

The Internet has paved the way for journals to be published online and has provided easier access to their articles but it also created a business opportunity for imposter (predatory) publishers.

The term predatory is associated with publishers that:

  • Have no rigorous peer review, editorial, or preservation services;
  • Have no quality control in selection process;
  • Frequently exploit Open Access publication models for financial gain.

Why do researchers publish in predatory journals?

"I knew that navigating rejection was part of the job, but I was also starting to wonder whether my study . . . would ever see the light of day. So when I received the email from a newly launched journal inviting me to publish with them, I saw a lifeline" (from "How I became easy prey to a predatory publisher")

How to spot predatory publishing?

Take careful consideration when choosing a journal to submit to. If there are more “No” than “Yes” answers when filling out the checklist, you may want to reconsider whether you would like to submit your work to the journal.

Category Question
Email If the journal sent you an email, does the email look professional?
Website Does the journal’s website look professional?
Editorial Board Does the editorial board appear legitimate?
Policies Does the journal have clear policies?
Content Does the journal have high-quality content?
Impact Does the journal have a legitimate impact factor?
Indexing Is the journal indexed in a reputable database?
Transparency Does the journal have transparent and feasible workflows and charges?
Publisher Can you verify information about the publisher?
Fit Is the journal a good fit for your research?

Carefully check:

  • Are there any grammatical or spelling errors?
  • Are the links, titles, or design of the publications unique or general?
  • Are images in the journal of good quality or fuzzy?
  • Are published articles in the journal of good quality?
  • Can you find information about members of the editorial board?
  • Do the members of the editorial board have an appropriate background?
  • Does the journal provide clear policies in regard to authorship, peer-review, retractions, copyright, ethics, preprints, data?
  • Is there a formal submission process (NOT via email)?
  • Does the journal have ISSN numbers?
  • Does the journal have a legitimate impact factor (not a bogus one, such as Index Copernicus?)
  • Is the journal indexed in Web of Science, Medline, Scopus, the DOAJ, or included in the Clarivate's Journal Citation Reports)?
  • Is the publisher a member of COPE, OASPA, or WAME)?
  • Is the journal affiliated or supported by known scholarly associations or societies?

(adapted from workshop "Fraudulent Journals and Conferences" by Paije Wilson)

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