KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The reasons why researchers submit to predatory journals are multifactorial.
• Institutions can counter the rise of predatory journals by educating researchers, fostering collaboration, and broadening evaluation criteria to reduce the pressure to publish.

Predatory journals pose a significant threat to scientific integrity, yet researchers continue to submit their work to them. In a recent Nature World View article, Professor Chérifa Boukacem-Zeghmouri explores the motivations behind researchers’ decisions to submit to predatory journals and suggests strategies for institutions to combat this issue.

Prof. Boukacem-Zeghmouri’s study in The Malaysian Journal of Library and Information Science surveyed 2,200 researchers who had authored articles in journals by the publisher OMICS. This publisher was ordered in 2018 to pay $50.1 million to the US government for “unfair and deceptive practices”. Many of the 86 survey respondents were from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Some admitted to knowingly submitting to predatory journals, possibly viewing them as a means to succeed in an unfair academic system. Alternatively, authors may unknowingly fall into the trap of predatory publishing because of language barriers or limited knowledge of publishing standards, with changing open access models further complicating matters.

Authors may unknowingly fall into the trap of predatory publishing because of language barriers or limited knowledge of publishing standards.

Prof. Boukacem-Zeghmouri proposes several approaches that institutions could adopt to help prevent this:

• Provide education on scholarly publishing norms and guidance on navigating the complex publishing landscape, especially for researchers in LMICs.
• Offer resources, such as the Think Check Submit checklist, in local languages and forums for knowledge exchange to empower researchers and reduce their vulnerability to predatory publishers.
• Create partnerships between institutions in LMICs and wealthier countries to facilitate access to reputable publications and integration within the global scientific community.
• Alleviate the pressure to publish by broadening the criteria for evaluating researchers beyond publications and acknowledging contributions in teaching, outreach, and other knowledge-sharing activities.

Prof. Boukacem-Zeghmouri highlights the open access publishing model in Latin America as an example of how things can be done successfully, with local open access journals that are recognised by the entire research ecosystem. She concludes that by creating a supportive environment that prioritises research integrity, institutions can protect researchers from exploitation and ensure that legitimate research reaches the world, advancing scientific knowledge for the benefit of all.

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