Ten simple rules for avoiding predatory publishing scams
Michelle Leonard, Suzanne Cady Stapleton, Perry Collins, Terry Kit Selfe, Tara Tobin Cataldo · PLoS Computational Biology · 2021
It is easy to imagine predatory publishers ready to pounce at any moment.They present real threats to professional reputations and obstacles on the long road from research to dissemination.It is also easy to be tempted by solicitations for quick and easy publishing, especially for early career faculty and researchers working in high-pressure environments.With a little investigation, though, you can avoid such publishing scams and find the journal that best aligns with your research topic, intended audience, long-term career goals, and complies with any funder's public access mandates.But what questions should you ask, and what tools are available to help you evaluate whether an invitation to publish, present at conferences, or serve as a peer reviewer is a legitimate opportunity or a trick intentionally designed to dupe you through false flattery?These rules focus on fraudulent publishing but can also be applied to evaluate suspect conferences.Predatory (also known as problematic, fraudulent, or questionable) publishing covers a complex set of unethical business practices, most focused on extracting money from authors and their institutions.Here, we rely on a definition from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), which describes predatory publishing as "systematic for-profit publication of purportedly scholarly content (in journals and articles, monographs, books, or conference proceedings) in a deceptive or fraudulent way and without any regard for quality assurance" [1].Fraudulent publishers often misuse models of open access (OA) publishing that charge fees for publication.While this may be controversial, such fees do not define predatory behavior.What sets legitimate publications apart from their problematic counterparts is not prestige, but ethical processes.From review workflows to impact metrics to author fees, predatory journals aim to deceive and exploit.For science to be credible, integrity of the research and transparency throughout the research life cycle is required.Fraudulent journals and conferences might include valid scholarship, but their abuse of the scholarly process can undermine trust in researchers' work.Fortunately, tools to tackle the challenge of questionable invitations such as Think.Check.Submit.[2] and Think.Check.Attend.[3] provide guidance on choosing the right path forward for ethical scholarship.These 10 simple rules will guide you through that process. Rule 1: Be suspiciousTread carefully when it comes to unsolicited invitations to submit.How many times a month do you receive an unsolicited email to present at an international conference that covers topics outside of your expertise?Or receive invitations to publish in a journal that you have never