What is a predatory journal? A scoping review

Abstract

Background: There is no standardized definition of what a predatory journal is, nor have the characteristics of these journals been delineated or agreed upon. In order to study the phenomenon precisely a definition of predatory journals is needed. The objective of this scoping review is to summarize the literature on predatory journals, describe its epidemiological characteristics, and to extract empirical descriptions of potential characteristics of predatory journals. Methods: We searched five bibliographic databases: Ovid MEDLINE, Embase Classic + Embase, ERIC, and PsycINFO, and Web of Science on January 2 nd, 2018. A related grey literature search was conducted March 27 th, 2018. Eligible studies were those published in English after 2012 that discuss predatory journals. Titles and abstracts of records obtained were screened. We extracted epidemiological characteristics from all search records discussing predatory journals. Subsequently, we extracted statements from the empirical studies describing empirically derived characteristics of predatory journals. These characteristics were then categorized and thematically grouped. Results: 920 records were obtained from the search. 344 of these records met our inclusion criteria. The majority of these records took the form of commentaries, viewpoints, letters, or editorials (78.44%), and just 38 records were empirical studies that reported empirically derived characteristics of predatory journals. We extracted 109 unique characteristics from these 38 studies, which we subsequently thematically grouped into six categories: journal operations, article, editorial and peer review, communication, article processing charges, and dissemination, indexing and archiving, and five descriptors. Conclusions: This work identified a corpus of potential characteristics of predatory journals. Limitations of the work include our restriction to English language articles, and the fact that the methodological quality of articles included in our extraction was not assessed. These results will be provided to attendees at a stakeholder meeting seeking to develop a standardized definition for what constitutes a predatory journal.

Understanding of medical students about predatory journals: A comparative study from KSA and New Zealand

“…These observations may partly be explained by the lack of a clear definition and criteria for predatory journals. 4 …”

“…Predatory journals have become a subject of intense research in recent years. 4 Various studies have focused on the negative impact of these journals, the methods used to identify the journals, and the solutions to stop the availability of manuscripts for these untrustworthy journals. 4 Educational efforts are being made to combat the rise of predatory journals, and these also aim to raise awareness about these journals.…”

“… 4 Various studies have focused on the negative impact of these journals, the methods used to identify the journals, and the solutions to stop the availability of manuscripts for these untrustworthy journals. 4 Educational efforts are being made to combat the rise of predatory journals, and these also aim to raise awareness about these journals. 5 It is notable that, at times, even seasoned researchers have been tricked into publishing in predatory journals; however, there are others who blatantly seek them out, often as a quick path to boost their academic achievements.…”

Perspectives for early-career researchers on plagiarism and scientific integrity

“…Predatory journals often promise publication for a price, with a quick turn-around and little or no peer review (Beall 2012). There is no agreed upon definition of a predatory journal (Cobey et al 2018), causing confusion and hesitation for ECRs. Resources are available to check if a journal or parent publishing group is listed as potentially predatory (predatoryjournals.com/journals/ and beallslist.weebly.com).…”

How to choose a journal and write a cover letter

“…There is an increasing body of research and gray literature that aim to provide rubric for identifying problematic journals, most famously the controversial, and now closed, Beall's List, and more recently a scoping review by Cobey et al .,[39] yet none have been able to provide decisive, noncontradictory statements around any single measure or process for assessing such journals. Identification of these journals often requires a combination of problems to be apparent, and the ability to recognize the details which signify these problems.…”