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Predatory publishing is a growing issue in the field of academic publishing. It is an unethical business practice as the predatory publishers do not provide rigorous peer review, manuscript processing, editing or other publishing services. As a result, predatory publishers may damage the reputation of the researchers and adversely impact their academic careers. In the long run, predatory publishing perpetuates bad research and threatens the integrity of scholarly communication.
"Predatory journals and publishers are entities that prioritize self-interest at the expense of scholarship and are characterized by false or misleading information, deviation from best editorial and publication practices, a lack of transparency, and/or the use of aggressive and indiscriminate solicitation practices" (Grudniewicz et al., 2019).
The following table describes the main ethical issues posed by predatory journals (Ferris & Winker, 2017):
| Issue | Elaboration |
|---|---|
| Misrepresentation | Predatory journals distort who they are and what services they offer |
| Lack of editorial and publishing standards and practices | Predatory journals lack standards and best practices as established by the scholarly publishing community, which improve the quality and ethics of published work |
| Academic deception | Authors misrepresent their scholarly effort by choosing to publish in predatory journals |
| Research and funding wasted | Research published in predatory journals may not receive the recognition it deserves and may become inaccessible, hence the effort and risk of research as well as funding are wasted |
| Lack of archived content | Predatory journals do not archive their content in third party sites making it inaccessible in the future |
| Undermining confidence in research literature | Predatory journals undermine faith that readers and the public have in research literature |
Source: John Bond.2016