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Predatory Publishers & Conferences

How to identify predatory publishers and conferences

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What Is Predatory Publishing?

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

 

Why Is This Happening?

  • A main goal is financial gain
  • To exploit "publish or perish" culture in academia
  • It's easy to create websites and online content
  • They imitate academic publishing trends such as the Open Access (OA) movement

 

Potential Consequences

  • Authors might sign away rights to publish their work elsewhere
  • Feelings of shame among authors who submit
  • Negative impact on authors’ careers
  • Promotes and disseminates misinformation and poor-quality research
  • Undermines public’s trust in science
  • Promotes stigmatized view of OA and hinders access to quality research
  • Costly to authors, funders, and academic institutions