Open Access (OA)

What are predatory journals?

Predatory journals are journals whose sole purpose is to make money, not advance science. They do this by getting people to publish through questionable marketing tactics such as email spamming and false promises. After a person decides to publish in a predatory journal, the person is charged high fees, and after all of the fees are paid, the article is published with little or no oversight.

How to tell if a journal is a predatory journal:

• Is the journal peer reviewed? If so, what is the peer review process like? Is the peer review thorough and rigorous?
• Does the journal properly use standard identifiers like ISBN, ISSN and DOI?
• Who are the authors of the articles within the journal? Are they on the board of directors or the peer review committee?
• Look at the other articles in the journal. What are the quality of the articles? Are they filled obvious spelling and grammar mistakes?
• Does journal offer quick publishing or peer review for a fee? Quality peer review cannot be rushed.
• Does journal offer an amount of citations for a fee? No reputable journal can guarantee citations.

How to Assess a Journal by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries:

https://www.carl-abrc.ca/how-to-assess-a-journal/