Identifying Predatory Publications Simon Linacre Director of International

Identifying Predatory Publications Simon Linacre Director of International Marketing & Development Simon. linacre@CABELLS. COM

Biography Bio: Simon Linacre • Simon is currently Director of International Marketing & Development at Cabells having spent 15 years in publishing at Emerald, where he had direct experience in journal acquisitions, open access and business development. • His background is in journalism and he has been published in academic journals on the topics of bibliometrics and knowledge transfer. • He holds Masters degrees in Philosophy and International Business and has global experience lecturing to researchers on publishing strategies.

History Forty years of experience • Cabells began life in the late 1970 s as a directory of recommended business and management journals based in Texas, USA • Started by management professor Dr Dave Cabell, the company has assessed journal quality for over 40 years • Journalytics (formerly the Whitelist) indexes over 11, 000 good quality journals across most disciplines, and will soon add over 5, 000 Medical journals • Predatory Reports (formerly the Blacklist) launched in 2017 following the closure of Beall’s List, but has no link to Beall. It now includes over 13, 000 predatory journals

Predatory Reports : Deceptive publishing In working with researchers, one of the key issues they’re struggling with today is the rise of predatory journals — and how they impact on their need to have access to, and to publish within, quality scholarly journals. The end of Beall’s list of predatory publishers made it clear just how important a role it had played in the academic universe. In 2017, Cabells launched the Journal Blacklist — a subscription based searchable database of predatory journals, with detailed reports listing specific violations for each journal. Since its launch in 2017 the database has grown to cover more than 13, 000 predatory journals, and is now known as Predatory Reports. “Predatory journals have rapidly increased their publication volumes from 53, 000 in 2010 to an estimated 420, 000 articles in 2014, published by around 8, 000 active journals. ” Cenyu Shen & Bo-Christer Björk Hanken School of Economics “By far, predatory publishers damage science more than anything else. They do not faithfully manage peer review, allowing questionable science to be published as if it had passed a strong peer review. ” Jeffrey Beall University of Colorado

What is a predatory journal? A predatory journal is an opportunistic publishing venue that exploits the academic need to publish but offers little reward for those using their services. While the motivations and methods vary, predatory journals have a number of common characteristics: The "publish or perish" scenario combined with the relative ease of launching online journals has inadvertently created a market ripe for the exploitation of researchers. • They do not care about the quality of the work published (i. e. no or little editing or peer-review). Some journals are predatory on purpose, while others may make mistakes due to neglect, mismanagement, or inexperience. • Their primary goal is to make money (i. e. there will be APC fees). • They make false claims or promises (i. e. claims of impact factors and indexing). • They engage in unethical business practices • They fail to follow accepted standards or best practices of scholarly publishing

Predatory Publishing – How the scam works Predatory journals exploit a new publishing model by claiming to be a legitimate open-access operation. Online predatory publishers take advantage of the Gold Open Access model. Under this model Article Processing Charges (APCs) provide publishers with income instead of subscription fees. It's important to realize that being Open Access does not make a journal predatory, their behavior does. Predatory journals make false claims (such as quick peer-review) to lure unwary authors into submitting papers. While sending a predatory journal a manuscript may see it "published" there is no guarantee that it underwent peer review, is included in indexes like Web of Science (Wo. S) and Scopus, or that it will be available in a month much less in five years.

Predatory Publishing – What’s the harm? Predatory journals do researchers a disservice by claiming to be a reputable outlet for publication. Authors are providing a valuable product and legitimate journals provide valuable services to protect their work. Some of the dangers of publishing within a predatory journal include: Work may be subject to sub-par peerreview The peer-review system isn't perfect but papers that undergo peer-review are better for it. Researchers planning to seek promotion want to make sure they are publishing in a place that values their work and is Work could disappear One of the advantages of publishing with a reputable journal is that they make commitments to preserve your work. Opportunists looking to make a quick buck are not going to care if your paper is still available in 5 years, much less tomorrow. Work will be hard to find Some predatory journals advertise that they are included in well-known databases like Web of Science, Scopus, or Cabells when they are not. While most predatory journals will probably be covered by Google Scholar your work won't be as visible if it's missing from other research databases.

Predatory Reports: Purpose Predatory Reports is the only searchable database that identifies deceptive and fraudulent journals. Specialists identify and analyze 74 behavioral indicators to flag potentially exploitative or dishonest operations. Each entry includes information on how to identify the journal in the real world and as well as a comprehensive report of each behavioral indicator that was uncovered in the journal’s evaluation.

Predatory Reports: Features Behavioral Indicators Community Effort Each journal is examined against 70+ behavioral indicators, screening for everything from misleading metrics to irregular publication practices. The academic community is an integral part of the solution. We welcome any tips, leads or suggestions in identifying specific fraudulent operations or behaviors. Let us know here. Objectivity Evolving Criteria Our criteria-based methodology, informed by industry expertise and community support, objectively evaluates whether a journal is blacklisted. We actively monitor for trends in deceptive practices, include new criteria and develop more ways to identify fraudulent behaviors. Transparency Searchable Database A complete record of when, what and why a journal is put on Predatory Reports gives users the ability to see deceptive behaviors first-hand to make clear and safe decisions. Access a searchable database of journals our specialists have flagged as probable threats, with detailed reports identifying the specific predatory behaviors that the evaluation revealed.

Predatory Reports: Features Misconduct Reports Our evaluative process is thoroughly documented. In every report, we categorize and detail each violation and provide a transparent view of the investigated journal.

Predatory Reports: Features Journal Summaries Each summary also contains the basic information necessary in identifying a blacklisted journal. This includes the title of the journal, its publisher, any claimed ISSNs, geographic location, website, open access type and launch date.

Predatory Reports: Selection criteria Over 70 behavioral indicators Use our selection criteria to create a rubric, used to evaluate journals Each indicator is weighted based on how closely it relates to deception Behaviors that directly indicate deception are weighted very heavily Behaviors that are commonly seen in deceptive journals are weighted lightly • Weighting was specifically designed to not flag journals for The Blacklist that are simply new, inexperienced, or incompetent. • • • http: //www 2. cabells. com/selection-policy

Journalytics : Purpose The Journalytics database is the complete source for journal info, evaluation metrics, and submission details. With more than 11, 000 qualified academic journals, authors can discover the perfect outlet for their research. Data specialists hand-source and evaluate every journal included using a comprehensive set of selection criteria. Each entry displays contact information, manuscript and submission guidelines, and actionable metrics to give you the confidence you need to make informed decisions.

Journalytics : Features JOURNAL DISCOVERY CALLS FOR PAPERS Look through all 18 of our academic disciplines or just one. In whichever field of study you’re looking, we’ll help you find verified, reputable journals. When submission deadlines approach, you’ll be ready with our color-coded notifications. Combine this with our search to single out just the open-call journals. QUALITY METRICS JOURNAL COMPARISON Our expert data curators and powerful metrics create a unique combination that guides you to the right journals for your work. Quickly see how journals stack up against each other when choosing a potential home for publication, managing library purchases or evaluating faculty CVs. EDITOR CONTACTS ACCEPTANCE RATES Know exactly where to go and who to talk to when you’re ready to submit your paper. We have editor names, titles, and contact details for every journal. Find acceptance rates and invited article percentages to match your research objectives to journals with the right blend of visibility and selectivity.

Journalytics : Selection criteria • Evaluate journals on 6 main dimensions: • Audience • Relevance • Quality • Peer Review • Policies • Publication Practices • BY USING BOTH PREDATORY REPORTS AND JOURNALYTICS, RESEARCHERS CAN PREVENT USE OF PREDATORY JOURNALS AND IDENTIFY LEGITIMATE PUBLICATIONS FOR THEIR ARTICLES http: //www 2. cabells. com/selection-policy

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