Medical and Health Sciences Publishing

What is predatory publishing?

Many researchers have had the experience of receiving an email soliciting the submission of their work to a journal. Some of these requests are from legitimate journals, perhaps those that are newly established or trying to increase their impact score and are thus soliciting high-quality work. Others are from what we call "predatory publishers". These are publications that publish to make money from authors' fees, but fail to practice good editorial oversight, do not provide robust peer review, and are not accepted as legitimate by the field.

What happens if I submit my work to a predatory journal?

Your work will be published, but it may be difficult for other researchers to find because the journal is not indexed by major databases.  The article will be considered less reputable if published in a known predatory journal.  Once published, you cannot publish the same article in a better journal because it is already published.

If you receive an email soliciting an article for publication or are considering a journal with which you are unfamiliar, here are some things to consider:

• Do you or your colleagues know the journal? The point of publishing is dissemination; if others in your field don't know the journal they are unlikely to find your work.
• Is the journal indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals, MEDLINE, or another database that is used in your field? The DOAJ is considered one of the major authorities for vetting open access publications, and MEDLINE indexes open access publications as well. If the journal is indexed in one of these places, or within a database that you use frequently, it is both likely to be legitimate and likely to ensure greater dissemination of your work because it will be findable.
• Is the journal transparent about its author fees and review process? Legitimate journals will tell you upfront what their author fees are, and rarely negotiate them. It should also be clear on the journal's website that articles undergo peer review and what that process looks like.
• Consult the Think, Check, Submit checklist. This is a thorough list and a great tool for thinking through all of the things you should take into consideration before submitting a publication.

In addition to contact about publishing your work, researchers should also carefully vet requests to:

• Serve on or be listed as a member of a journal's editorial board
• Serve as a peer reviewer
• Present at conferences that you have not heard of or are outside your research scope

Researchers should investigate these types of requests using the same tips above.