Predatory publishing and predatory journals: a critical review and proposed research agenda for higher education

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual review of the literature pertaining to predatory publishing, so as to derive cornerstone themes for an ongoing research agenda to eliminate predatory publishing. Findings identify four key themes as important underpinnings of such a research agenda. The first relates to the influences and consequences of Open-Access publishing on predatory journals. The second concerns the need to maintain academic standards in the wake of predatory journals. The third highlights the response of developing countries to predatory journals, and the fourth relates to the need to ensure predatory journals are restrained. Results suggest a need for a more holistic approach to predatory publishing research that reduces redundancy and links to overarching issues of scientific rigour and credibility. The conceptual synthesis provided here extends current literature on predatory publishing, seeking to offer useful insights into how to ensure the effectiveness of an ongoing research agenda that can stay ahead of changes in the nature and boundaries of the predatory publishing phenomenon itself.

KEYWORDS:

• Predatory publishing
• Beall’s list
• open access
• academic publishing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Chris William Callaghan

Chris William Callaghan is a Professor and founding Director of the Knowledge and Information Economics/Human Resources Research Agency (KIEHRA) in the School of Economic and Business Sciences of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. The primary focus of his work is how the management of research and information can be made more effective, in the interests of society and its stakeholders.

Denise Rosemary Nicholson

Denise Rosemary Nicholson is the Scholarly Communications Librarian at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. She is well-recognised locally and abroad for the positive role she has played in promoting access to knowledge, open access, reputable scholarly communication, library issues, and copyright awareness. She has won a number of prestigious awards for her contribution to library science and information management internationally and locally. She has many publications and has presented at many conferences around the world. Her free online ‘Copyright & A2K Issues’ newsletter reaches more than 10 000 people globally.