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Predatory Publishing and Predatory Conferences

What it is and what you can do to protect your academic reputation

Is It Predatory? Let Me Help...

If you are unsure whether a journal or conference is predatory, please feel free to contact me. My contact information is available in the box on the left.

Background information

With the rise of open access publishing, some publishers now charge author fees as a way to finance the cost of publishing articles without having to charge subscription fees.  However, some publishers have begun to take advantage of the author pays model and require payment from authors without providing adequate editorial services.  The result is that articles are often solicited and accepted for publication in new journals without the customary peer review and editing that is characteristic of established journals.  These predatory journals often have scientific names and list prominent academics on their editorial boards without their permission, making them difficult to distinguish from legitimate journals and publishers. The PowerPoint presentations below analyze the characteristics of predatory journals and outline strategies that scholars can take to identify them and ensure that their research is only submitted to quality journals and reputable publishers.

Predatory Publishing Presentations

KTTZ-FM 89.1 Predatory Publishing Interview with Brian Quinn

Detecting Predatory Publishers

Experimental Evidence of Predatory Practices

Think-- Check--Submit

Think--Check--Attend

Predatory Book Publishers

Predatory publishing includes not only journals and conferences, but books as well. Graduate students who have recently completed dissertations may be contacted by publishers who offer to "publish" their work, without informing them it will be published unedited and without peer review. Publishers who have been accused of these practices include Lambert Publishing, and Omniscriptum. 

Standards of Publication