Open Access

The term "predatory publisher" was coined in 2010 by Jeffrey Beall, former librarian at University of Colorado and author of the original Beall's List, which is no longer current. Typically, these are publishers who do not adhere to the traditional scholarly process and scholarly values. They exist to make money by taking advantage of "Gold Open Access" a legitimate model in which authors pay Article Processing Charges (APCs) to have their articles published. Determining whether or not a publisher is predatory can be more difficult, but here are some characteristics of predatory publishers:

1. Use of spam email to try to recruit authors
2. Promise unusually quick turnaround time for publication
3. Require authors to get their articles peer-reviewed on their own
4. Very broad focus with a lack of, or a vague statement of purpose
5. No editorial board listed, or an editorial board that lists experts in a field without their permission
6. Publisher names and journal titles sound familiar or professional
7. Poor article quality or plagiarism
8. May lie about journal ranking or inclusion in the DOAJ or subject databases.

Legitimate Open Access journals adhere to the OASPA Code of Conduct. If you are not sure about a particular publisher, contact your Subject Librarian for assistance.