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A comprehensive guide in identifying predatory publishers

The Secrets Predatory Publishers Don’t Want You to Know

By Emily Alexander on Oct 26, 2017
Predatory Publishing

A Short Introduction


Open Access, or OA, allows individuals and institutions unrestricted access to content published in scholarly publications. Unlike the traditional subscription-based publishing models, open access content is available without having to purchase or subscribe to the book or journal in which the content is published. Open Access models often require the author or a funding body to pay a fee that covers the costs associated with publishing. This fee is paid after the article has undergone formal evaluation and acceptance into the journal. Want to know more about Open Access? Read the full article here.

Predatory publishing is an exploitative publishing practice that charges publication fees to authors without providing the editorial and publishing services associated with legitimate journals. These types of publishers often take advantage of the open access model’s article processing fee, asking authors to pay to make their article open access without any real interest in advancing knowledge and without following any accepted standards of scholarly publishing, such as peer review.

It is our hope that we can prevent authors and librarians from becoming victims of predatory publishing, so we have compiled a few simple methods to help identify a predatory publisher.


How do I spot Predatory Publishers?


“My article was accepted, that was fast!”

While quick acceptance of your article may seem like a good sign, it is often an indicator that there is little to no review happening. Publishing an article is a lengthy process, one that should take several months, potentially even a year depending on who you are publishing with. We at IGI Global pride ourselves on publishing peer-reviewed, timely, and innovative research content. While IGI Global publishes in an expeditious manner, our Peer Review Process still takes an average of 12-16 weeks to complete. This process assures credibility and accuracy of our content, thus creating an incredible source of vetted information for libraries to subscribe to.

“Where did all these fees come from?”

If a publisher suddenly requires fees or payments after your article has already been accepted, and these fees were never discussed prior to acceptance, you may be dealing with a predatory publisher. While there are no fees associated with publishing with IGI Global, unless the author chooses to publish open access, there may be other publishers who do have costs connected with their publishing. If these publishers are following ethical standards, they will be upfront with any additional costs. For more information on our publishing process, visit the Publish with IGI Global page located on our main website.

“IWI Worldwide? Sounds a lot like IGI Global…”

This indicator takes a little bit of homework, and is one of the most common detriments to authors and librarians. Predatory publishers often create their names based off already existing (and legitimate) publishers. Because their names are based off legitimate publishers, they can oftentimes appear very authentic and professional. And this tactic is not only used on publisher names, but also on some of their journals too, purposefully choosing titles that are similar to those of established and well-known journals. Additionally, predatory publishers often mimic the web site style of legitimate publishers as well. If something sounds suspicious, or looks oddly familiar, do a quick Google search. Oftentimes you won’t be the first person to have noticed.

“Wait, IWI Worldwide is based in Antarctica? That’s pretty cool!”

While the idea of a predatory publisher pretending to be based in Antarctica is a bit absurd, it’s a simple example of how predatory publishers often hold misleading claims about their publishing operation. The location of their operation is just one of the many components which can easily be fabricated. This indicator can typically be identified through a simple Google search. Is your publisher not showing up on the map? They might not exist!

“This journal has an Impact Factor; that means it’s legitimate, right?”

Not necessarily. The Impact Factor is provided by Clarivate Analytics’ Journal Citation Report and is only given to journals that are indexed in certain Clarivate Analytics’ Web of Science Core Collection indices. Only journals who uphold strong ethical publishing practices can be accepted into these indices. However, some predatory publishers assign fake impact factors to their journals, or assign values that sound like legitimate metrics. Real journal metrics that track citation measurement include Clarivate Analytics’ Impact Factor, Elsevier’s CiteScore™, and the SCImago Journal & Country Rank (SJR) which utilizes Scopus’ database for data.

“Aren’t ISSNs typically 8 digits long? Mine is only 4 digits…”

Improper use of ISSNs or ISBNs is a simple, yet commonly overlooked, method in identifying a predatory publisher. These numbers are different for journals and books – journal ISSN numbers are typically 8 digits long, while book ISBN numbers are typically 13 digits. Want more information on ISSN numbers?

“Hey, I never signed up to be on an editorial review board!”

If you suddenly find yourself on a list of editorial review members, without ever volunteering yourself or your name, this could be a red flag. Because predatory publishers are not legitimate publishing companies, their editorial review boards are nonexistent. However, listing legitimate academics can make the publication appear more authentic. Additionally, if you do volunteer yourself as an editorial review board member, predatory publishers often won’t allow you to resign from the board.

“Is Albert Einstein really a member of this journal’s editorial review board?”

On the other side of the coin, predatory publishers often list fake academics on their editorial boards in order to appear more authentic. While Albert Einstein may not be a logical choice, the concept rings true. This indicator also takes a bit of homework, since some academics may be legitimate (see above) and others may be fake.

“The journal I want to submit an article to is on Cabell’s blacklist. Is this a good thing?”

Cabell’s “Blacklist” is essentially a database of predatory publishers. The goal of the creators is “to provide academics with accurate information and reputable outlets for publication.” (http://www.cabells.com/about) If the journal you wish to submit your work to is on this list, unfortunately, you are unquestionably dealing with an unethical or dishonest publisher. If the journal you want to submit to is on Cabell’s “Whitelist,” then you’re in the clear. The Whitelist contains a collection of ethical, legitimate publishers.

Takeaways


Make sure to share this post with fellow authors and librarians, as predatory publishing is an ongoing issue that no one is immune to. There are many ways in which predatory publishers attempt to deceive authors, librarians, and academics, and this list of warning signs unfortunately does not include all the methods in which academics can be deceived. It is our hope that this list has brought to light new information that otherwise may have contributed to the deception of a fellow academic.

Want more information on publishing, credibility, and ethics? Try these related IGI Global publications:



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Caroline Campbell
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(717) 533-8845, ext. 144
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