How to Avoid Predatory Journals, Exploitative Conferences, and Paper Mills

In recent years, there has been a spike in the number of predatory journals, exploitative conferences, and paper mills across the globe. For instance, as reported in The Conversation, the global count of predatory journals increased to roughly 15,000 in the year 2021. In today’s blog post, I will describe each of the above and shed light on the associated red flags, which will help you avoid them.   

What are Predatory Journals? 

Predatory journals are fraudulent publications that violate well-established norms in publishing for the sole purpose of generating revenue. Peer review is non-existent, and such journals regularly accept and publish papers of extremely questionable quality. Predatory journals do not contribute to the scientific record; in fact, they disrupt it. Such journals do not have legitimate peer reviewers, the editorial board members are either fake or listed without being informed, and the entire operation of publishing is handled by bad actors for profiteering.  

Unfortunately, some legitimate researchers accidentally end up submitting their manuscripts to predatory journals for ‘peer review.’ The following list of red flags can serve as a reference for anyone interested in avoiding predatory journals:  

• Non-existent peer review 

• Guaranteed and unusually fast publication 

• False claims of being indexed in reputable databases 

• Fake (or misrepresented) editorial board members 

• Editorial board members whose field of study does not align with the published journal scope  

• History of publishing highly questionable research  

• History of publishing nonsensical content and/or articles containing tortured phrases 

• Research that consistently cannot be reproduced by others 

• Poorly designed websites with plenty of grammatical errors and/or AI-generated text 

• Flashy advertising on the journal platform and/or elsewhere 

• No mention of a physical address and/or missing contact details 

• Publishers/editors/staff members with non-verifiable identities or dubious social media handles (e.g., LinkedIn handles with hardly any posts and/or no clear community engagement) 

• Missing sections on author guidelines and/or publishing ethics 

• Attempt to fraudulently mimic an established publisher’s and/or journal’s website 

• No mention of established authorities in publishing (e.g., COPE or ICMJE) 

• Fake ISSNs and/or journal metrics 

• Absence of copyright and/or licensing information (e.g., CC BY 4.0) 

• No published policy on plagiarism, research misconduct, intellectual property rights (IPR) infringement, etc.  

• No mention of the business model used for generating revenue 

Bad actors get better every day. Therefore, the above list cannot and should not be considered comprehensive by manuscript authors. Although the above list is a good starting point, researchers must use their diligence in deciding whether to submit their manuscript to a particular journal of interest.               

What are Exploitative Conferences? 

Exploitative conferences, also known as predatory conferences, have a lot in common with predatory journals. Once again, the key objective is to ensure profitability at the cost of integrity. However, the biggest difference is that exploitative conferences prey on researchers through in-person events. Quite often, these events are organized at exotic tourist locations and marketed as ‘academic getaways.’ The key motivation is to mint money from registration fees and article processing charges while providing no research benefits (e.g., rigorous peer review and high-authority speakers) whatsoever. Manuscripts submitted to such events do not get reviewed by experts, and the invited keynote speakers commonly include Ph.D. students and/or young Postdocs.  

Exploitative conferences often lure inexperienced researchers with promises of keynote slots, awards, and/or session chair roles, and sometimes even charge hefty fees for the same. Typically, these events run unrelated tracks simultaneously (e.g., advances in quantum computing and nutrition in urban environments) and offer no scholarly value whatsoever. Organizers aggressively market via spammy-looking emails and have no ties with reputable organizations. 

In most cases, researchers realize that they have been duped by the event organizers only after reaching the event venue. 

What are Paper Mills? 

A recent investigation led by Nature sheds light on paper mill activity. By definition, paper mills are fraudulent publishing cartels involved in “authorship for sale” schemes. For instance, a Russia-based paper mill reportedly generated $6.5 million by selling co-authorship slots during the pandemic period.     

Paper mills produce and sell academic papers using deceptive and highly unethical publishing practices. They commercially exploit researchers and deceive publishers. While some paper mills sell authorship slots on already drafted or even accepted papers, others recycle published studies using AI tools and tweak the associated content to evade plagiarism detection. More ‘advanced’ paper mills engage in fabrication. These shady practices not only compromise research integrity but also impact the scientific record. On a related note, experts believe that the rise of paper mills is driven in part by academia’s heavy focus on publication metrics. Other contributing factors include researchers’ willingness to cut corners for personal gain and a lack of regulatory oversight in the publishing industry.  

Why Avoid All of the Above? 

Researchers, especially young Ph.D. students and Postdocs, need to talk to their supervisors and other senior investigators before selecting a good journal or conference for their publishing needs. Of course, paper mills must be avoided at all costs! Getting involved with predatory journals, exploitative conferences, and/or paper mills is always a bad idea. Moreover, researchers must never cut corners to achieve their publishing goals. Doing so can not only harm their reputation but also hurt their future job prospects.      

Summary 

Predatory journals, exploitative conferences, and paper mills exploit researchers and undermine the integrity of the scientific record. They can also negatively impact research careers in various ways. However, all three can be avoided. Researchers must remain vigilant, identify the associated red flags, and stay away from these deceptive entities.  

Key Highlights   

• Increase awareness about predatory journals, exploitative conferences, and paper mills 

• Stay away from all three, as they negatively impact the scientific record and adversely affect research careers 

• Conduct and publish research responsibly  

Quiz for the Curious  

Minato is browsing a journal’s website. All of a sudden, a chat box appears on her laptop screen. After she types in her query, the chatbot asks for her phone number. An hour later, she receives a call from the publisher, who claims that their journal publishes manuscripts within 24 hours of receiving the 'processing fee.' What should Minato do? Select all that apply.   

(A) Pay the processing fee only after the manuscript is published in the journal  

(B) Stay away from the journal—it is clearly a predatory journal that guarantees rapid acceptance with zero peer review 

(C) Check whether the journal has previously published articles related to her research topic, and promptly proceed with the payment (in line with the “publish or perish” model)   

(D) None of the above 

Answer: (B)