Predatory publishing – academic publishing business model where authors are charged fees but there is no quality check of the articles, no editorial etc. The journal is of poor quality or may even do not exist.
Beall’s List, a list of predatory journals by Jeffrey Beall of the University of Colorado that was available and regularly updated until January 2017. Some controversies are connected to the list.
Examples: MDPI – was on Bell’s list, removed 2015, not considered as predatory anymore (but it has an aggressive business model)
International Journal of Biomedical Science – predatory
Predatory conferences – same idea as predatory journals/same model. Meetings that appear as legitimate conferences, but they are not. Usually high fees, no editorial check of presentations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predatory_publishing
When to be careful?:
- You don’t know journal/never have heard about the conference
- You receive multiple emails inviting you to publish or go to the conference
- You get special invitations from people you never met/have heart about
What is a good choice:
- Go to recommended conferences
- Publish in journals you read yourself
- Ask senior friend