Stop Predatory Publishers Now: Act Collaboratively
Authors: David Moher, Ester Moher
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2016)

Ideas and Opinions3 May 2016Stop Predatory Publishers Now: Act CollaborativelyDavid Moher, PhD and Ester Moher, PhDDavid Moher, PhDFrom Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Privacy Analytics, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. and Ester Moher, PhDFrom Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Privacy Analytics, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M15-3015 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Researchers trying to publish their work face a duality of tensions. To advance their careers, they must be productive and publish in journals with high impact factors. However, passing the scientific rigor of peer review and editorial approval in these journals makes publishing difficult. Morally corrupt businesses, posing as legitimate publishers, have moved into this space. They offer to publish anything quickly, thus circumventing the very fabric of scientific publishing. This cancer has spread rapidly in part because these publishers have no physical presence—instead, they conduct their ruse through illegitimate online journals. Unless these predatory publishers and journals are stopped ...References1. Shen C, Björk BC. 'Predatory' open access: a longitudinal study of article volumes and market characteristics. BMC Med. 2015;13:230. [PMID: 26423063] doi:10.1186/s12916-015-0469-2 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Moher D, Srivastava A. You are invited to submit … [Letter]. BMC Med. 2015;13:180. [PMID: 26239633] doi:10.1186/s12916-015-0423-3 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Zarin DA, Tse T, Ide NC. Trial registration at ClinicalTrials.gov between May and October 2005. N Engl J Med. 2005;353:2779-87. [PMID: 16382064] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Behavioural Insights Team. Update report 2013–2015. London: Behavioural Insights Team; 2015. Google Scholar5. Akhawe D, Felt AP. Alice in warningland: a large-scale field study of browser security warning effectiveness. Presented at the 22nd USENIX Security Symposium, Washington, DC, 15 August 2013. Accessed at www.usenix.org/conference/usenixsecurity13/technical-sessions/presentation/akhawe on 11 January 2016. Google Scholar6. Larivière V, Haustein S, Mongeon P. The oligopoly of academic publishers in the Digital Era. PLoS One. 2015;10:e0127502. [PMID: 26061978] doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0127502 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Privacy Analytics, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M15-3015.Corresponding Author: David Moher, PhD, Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, The Ottawa Hospital, General Campus, 501 Smyth Road, Room L1288, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8L6, Canada; e-mail, [email protected]ca.Current Author Addresses: Dr. D. Moher: Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, The Ottawa Hospital, General Campus, 501 Smyth Road, Room L1288, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8L6, Canada.Dr. E. Moher: Privacy Analytics, 251 Laurier Avenue West, Suite 200, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5J6, Canada.Author Contributions: Conception and design: D. Moher, E. Moher.Drafting of the article: D. Moher, E. Moher.Critical revision of the article for important intellectual content: D. Moher.Final approval of the article: D. Moher, E. Moher.This article was published at www.annals.org on 2 February 2016. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoStop Predatory Publishers Now Margaret A. Winker and Stop Predatory Publishers Now David Moher and Ester Moher Metrics Cited byDifferentiating between questionable and legitimate trauma journals: A systematic review and evaluation of two sets of criteriaAre predatory journals contaminating science? An analysis on the Cabells' Predatory ReportInformation RetrievalShould I include studies from "predatory" journals in a systematic review? Interim guidance for systematic reviewersDrivers of article processing charges in open access'Collaborate now with worldwide physicians and scientists!'—the obscenity of predatory scienceHas the Reporting Quality of Systematic Review Abstracts in Nursing Improved Since the Release of PRISMA for Abstracts? A Survey of High‐Profile Nursing JournalsScholarly databases under scrutinyRise of the Rxivs: How Preprint Servers are Changing the Publishing ProcessAccessA bibliometric analysis of the international medical literature on predatory publishingPredatory and exploitative behaviour in academic publishing: An assessmentHow can a questionable journal be identified: Frameworks and checklistsEditorialA review of recent publication trends from top publishing countriesChallenges in Open Access PublishingAn examination of the effect of open versus paywalled access publication on the disseminative impact and citation count of publications in intensive care medicine and anesthesiaOpen access: Is there a predator at the door?Expanding epidemiology and biostatistics curricula in undergraduate medical education to promote evidence-based practiceFake news. Fake journals. Fake conferences. What we can doMore variety with the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle : JCSM Clinical Reports and JCSM Rapid Communications have both gone liveOpen access: Is there a predator at the door?Open access: is there a predator at the door?Open Access: Is There a Predator at the Door?Open Access: Is There a Predator at the Door?Open Access: Is There a Predator at the Door?Open access: is there a predator at the door?Open access: Is there a predator at the door?What is a predatory journal? A scoping reviewOpen Access: Is There a Predator at the Door?Are predatory journals undermining the credibility of science? A bibliometric analysis of citersPredatory journals and dishonesty in scienceOpen Access: Concepts, findings, and recommendations for stakeholders in dentistryIs This Conference for Real? Navigating Presumed Predatory Conference InvitationsOpen access to scientific articles: a review of benefits and challengesPredatory Invitations from Journals: More Than Just a Nuisance?Changing Times in Cardiovascular Publications: A CommentaryStop Predatory Publishers NowMargaret A. Winker, MD, for the World Association of Medical Editors Executive Board*Predatory Journals: Illegitimate Publishing and Its Threat to All Readers and AuthorsCaging the packPredatory Journals: think before you submit 3 May 2016Volume 164, Issue 9Page: 616-617KeywordsBehaviorClinical epidemiologyClinical trial reportingDatabasesDisclosureNetwork analysisPatient advocacyPeer reviewResearch quality assessmentResearch reporting guidelines ePublished: 2 February 2016 Issue Published: 3 May 2016 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2016 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...