Written by Brian Li
Background
In today’s world, scientific research papers can be easily found online by anyone. Post-secondary students, researchers, and academics all around the world, aspiring to contribute to the scientific community, can easily publish their research papers by paying a one-time fee through the Open Access publishing model (Glasson). The Open Access model not only allows for easy publishing, but it enables academic information to be easily accessible by everyone without any legal or cost boundaries. This means that students around the world can use the information published through the Open Access model in their research. Overall, this new era of increasingly obtainable research throughout the scientific community has contributed to the proliferation of reputable and reliable information.
The Rise in Predatory Publishers
With the Open Access model being a popular way for authors to publish their research papers, the scientific community has experienced an increase in predatory publishers. Predatory publishers take advantage of the fee that authors need to pay in order to get their papers published through the Open Access model (Glasson). It’s hard to spot a predatory publisher as they often have websites that look professional and a background check of the publisher may look promising (Glasson). Another reason why spotting a predatory publisher might be difficult is due to the lack of a widely accepted definition of a predatory publisher. The journal Nature released a definition in 2019 stating:
“Predatory journals and publishers 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.)
Iowa State University has shared some characteristics that predatory publishers often showcase:
The main objective of predatory publishers is to profit. Look out for additional fees required by the publisher other than the initial Open Access fee (O’Donnell).
The quality of work published is sub-optimal. Predatory Publishers usually promise peer-editing; however, they often don’t fulfill the promise (O’Donnell).
They do not follow the standard practices of other publishers (O’Donnell)
What Happens To Your Work?
Predatory publishers will often offer you services that will not be provided to you. Iowa State University has also listed out some of the consequences of publishing under a predatory publisher:
Your work may not be reviewed. This means that you may lose credibility in the future and your future work may be deemed unreliable (O’Donnell).
Your work may be removed from the publisher. The publisher is allowed to remove your work from their database if they choose to do so (O’Donnell).
Your work may be hard to find. Your work may not be included in well-known scientific databases like Web of Science since predatory publishers usually do not associate with them (O’Donnell).
How To Spot A Predatory Publisher
Here are some precautionary steps for you to take before you publish your research paper:
Check if the publisher you’re working with is a member of DOAJ, COPE, OASPA or STM. These are organizations that strive for good publishing practices.
Research their editors. If the editor is not creditable in the scientific field, that’s a red flag!
Read through their past publications. Spot out errors that should have been easily found if peer-editing was done or check the quality of the work. In today’s world, scientific research papers can be easily found online by anyone. Post-secondary students, researchers, and academics all around the world, aspiring to contribute to the scientific community, can easily publish their research papers by paying a one-time fee through the Open Access publishing model (Glasson). The Open Access model not only allows for easy publishing, but it enables academic information to be easily accessible by everyone without any legal or cost boundaries. This means that students around the world can use the information published through the Open Access model in their research. Overall, this new era of increasingly obtainable research throughout the scientific community has contributed to the proliferation of reputable and reliable information.
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