Predatory Journals
Predatory journals are scientific journals that use unethical practices for the purpose of making money rather than promoting high-quality scientific research. These journals tend to publish articles by authors in exchange for payment, without adequate peer review or quality control.
Predatory journals are difficult to recognize due to often professionally designed websites and marketing strategies designed to give a reputable impression. However, there are some warning signs you should look out for:
- Rapid publication: If a journal promises unusually fast publication without adequate peer review, this is a potential warning signal. Quality-assuring peer review processes take time.
- Unusual email advertising: Are you receiving unsolicited emails from unknown journals asking you to submit papers? This is often a sign of predatory journals.
- Incomplete information: If a journal does not provide clear information about the publishers, editorial board, peer review process or other aspects of the journal, be wary. Clear information on publication fees is also often missing.
- Responsible persons: The editorial board has comparatively few members or is not yet finalized. The persons listed are sometimes also listed for a conspicuous number of other journals, sometimes from completely different subject areas.
- Spelling mistakes and poor quality of the website: Although the design of the website appears high quality, at second glance it often contains spelling mistakes and inaccurate or even contradictory information.
- Questionable impact factors: Some predatory journals state unrealistically high impact factors. These should be compared with other sources.
If you would like to publish in a previously unknown or new journal, you can also check the following information:
- Peer review process: Reputable journals subject submitted articles to a rigorous peer review process in which independent experts evaluate the quality and validity of the research. Information on the peer review process should be available on the journal's website.
- Editors: information about the editors should be clearly stated on the journal's website. These individuals should be known in their professional circles and, where appropriate, have published their role as editor on their personal websites.
- Clear fee structure: Reputable journals inform authors in a transparent manner about possible fees in connection with publication.
- Indexing and impact factor: If possible, check whether the journal is indexed in well-known scientific databases such as the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). A stated impact factor should also be compared with other sources.
- Transparent guidelines: In terms of format, style and submission process, the journal should provide clear guidelines for authors. This helps to avoid misunderstandings and ensures that submissions meet standards.
- Membership in associations: Some reputable publishers are members of organizations such as the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA).
The risks associated with publishing in these journals are manifold. Due to the lack of quality assurance, the reputation of both the authors and their institutions can suffer considerably in some cases. Incorrect research results and conclusions can be picked up by the public and sometimes trigger fierce, reputation-damaging discussions.
Another important point to bear in mind is the lack of security with regard to long-term availability. While established publishers have a suitable server infrastructure to secure your research data and results over longer periods of time and keep them available, this is sometimes not the case with predatory publishers.
It is important to note that these criteria serve as general guidelines and that individual journals may have different and divergent practices. If you are unsure, consult the websites linked below and ask your colleagues or the library: library@aip.de
Further information on this topic:
Leaflet of the Leibniz Association
Committee on Publication Ethics
Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association
Various journal databases:
Directory of Open Access Journals