Scholarly Communication Services

SCS Shorts: Deceptive or Predatory Publishers

SCS Shorts:  Deceptive or Predatory Publishers

(Reading time: 5 minutes)

With the increase of open access publishers, there has also been an uptick of publishers who misuse the open access models for profit rather than to promote and communicate new knowledge.  These are known as either deceptive or predatory publishers.  Not all open access publishers are predatory, so here are suggested ways to address questions you may get from library users:

Is this publisher predatory?  See below for an e-mail exchange that shows how I evaluated InTech Open.  I told the faculty member how I reviewed some attributes and weighed the factors. 

Is there a master list of these types of publications?  No.  The noted Beall’s List, which intended to suggest publishers that used questionable practices, has archived versions that can be found on the internet but is no longer updated.  It was created by librarian Jeffery Beall of University of Colorado-Denver and was taken down because of lawsuit threats from publishers and also criticism from the publishing field and library/ info folk.

What if I think my article (or publication) was published in one?  One possible action is to request a retraction of your work from the publisher or request for it to be removed.  Scholarly publishing ethical guidelines do allow authors to request this.  Authors can consult the policies of a publication regarding retraction or removal, and then proceed accordingly.  However, authors may want to note that if they wish to submit their work to another publisher, they may be kept from doing that since publishers often won’t accept work that’s been published elsewhere (but of course, there are some exceptions to this).

Recommended Sources:  

• Deceptive or Predatory Publishers (SCS LibGuide):   https://libguides.fau.edu/c.php?g=1022236&p=9039480 
• Open Access (SCS LibGuide):  https://libguides.fau.edu/open-access

E-mail Conversation: 

From: Kristy Padron
To: Faculty

Dear Faculty: 

By your request, I’ve looked at InTech Open’s website.  One can examine a publisher’s attributes to evaluate the likelihood if an open access publisher is soliciting authors so they can get the publishing costs (without regard to the quality of what is published) or is legitimate.  Here is how I evaluated this publisher:

1. Solicitation:  getting an e-mail from a unknown publisher may be suspect but can considered in balance with the other factors.
2. Regularity of Publication:  this publisher has been in existence since 2012 and does have thousands of books, including recent ones.
3. Publishing Policies:  a publisher should be transparent with its policies regarding peer review, retractions, erratum, and its publication process or workflow.  This one does provide this information.
4. Memberships:  a publisher should belong to open access publications like OASPA and COPE (this one does, I checked their web pages).  If a publisher collaborates with established professional entities, it is a good sign (and this one does).
5. Indexing:  to help a book’s findability, it should be indexed in Web of Science, Scopus, or other established lists.  I’ve seen some authors on websites say this publisher is not well-covered in indexes (which is one flag, though most people default to the internet to find information rather than library sources).
6. Author Publishing/ Process Cost (APC):  these aren’t always a sign of a predatory publisher, but is a way to shift the cost from readers (but sadly, this is abused by predatory publishers).  This one is asking for 1,400 British Pounds as its APC.
7. Editorial Board:  I always want to see who is a part of this (and if they are, in fact, actual board members because other publishers have done with without the permission of members).  I saw a few editors.
8. Web Site:  I’m wary of unprofessional or poorly maintained sites.  This one seems current and professional.

I don’t think title is an actual predatory or deceptive publisher, but I would suggest working with a publisher that’s better known and established in your field, especially since they are asking for almost $1,500 to pay for publishing which is comparable with conventional publishers.

I hope this helps!!  I also made a guide for this at https://libguides.fau.edu/c.php?g=1022236&p=9039480.

Let me know if you have any questions!

--Kristy

 From: Faculty
To: Kristy Padron

Hi Kristy:  I got this e-mail from a publisher.  Is there a list of predatory publishers to see if this is one of them?  How can I tell of a publisher is predatory?  I got an e-mail from a publisher, and I do have a book manuscript that I want to make open access.

Signed,  Faculty

From: PUBLISHER
Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 9:43 PM
To: Faculty

Subject: Rural Health - Join as an author

Dear Faculty: 

We sent you an email previously but in case you missed it, due to your involvement in the field, IntechOpen invites you to contribute a chapter to “Rural Health,” an Open Access book edited by Dr. Umar Bacha.

Work with an internationally recognised peer group and gain increased visibility for your published work.

Please visit the book project page to register your interest.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards,

Publisher Author Service Manager