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- The reasons why researchers submit to predatory journals are multifactorial.<\/li>\n
- Institutions can counter the rise of predatory journals by educating researchers, fostering collaboration, and broadening evaluation criteria to reduce the pressure to publish.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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<\/p>\nPredatory journals pose a significant threat to scientific integrity, yet researchers continue to submit their work<\/a> to them. In a recent Nature<\/em> World View article<\/a>, Professor Ch\u00e9rifa Boukacem-Zeghmouri explores the motivations behind researchers’ decisions to submit to predatory journals and suggests strategies for institutions to combat this issue.<\/p>\n
Prof. Boukacem-Zeghmouri\u2019s study<\/a> in The Malaysian Journal of Library and Information<\/em> Science<\/em><\/a> surveyed 2,200 researchers who had authored articles in journals by the publisher OMICS. This publisher was ordered in 2018 to pay $50.1 million<\/a> to the US government for \u201cunfair and deceptive practices\u201d. Many of the 86 survey respondents were from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Some admitted to knowingly submitting to predatory journals, possibly viewing them as a means to succeed in an unfair academic system. Alternatively, authors may unknowingly fall into the trap of predatory publishing because of language barriers or limited knowledge of publishing standards, with changing open access models further complicating matters.<\/p>\n
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Authors may unknowingly fall into the trap of predatory publishing because of language barriers or limited knowledge of publishing standards.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Prof. Boukacem-Zeghmouri proposes several approaches that institutions could adopt to help prevent this:<\/p>\n
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- Provide education on scholarly publishing norms and guidance on navigating the complex publishing landscape, especially for researchers in LMICs.<\/li>\n
- Offer resources, such as the Think Check Submit<\/a> checklist, in local languages and forums for knowledge exchange to empower researchers and reduce their vulnerability to predatory publishers.<\/li>\n
- Create partnerships between institutions in LMICs and wealthier countries to facilitate access to reputable publications and integration within the global scientific community.<\/li>\n
- Alleviate the pressure to publish by broadening the criteria for evaluating researchers beyond publications and acknowledging contributions in teaching, outreach, and other knowledge-sharing activities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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