Ethical and predatory publishing: experiences and perceptions of researchers

• Author: M.P. Yeoh/A. M. Cazan/S. Zaib/W. Muss/L. Jacic
• Position: SEAMEO RECSAM, Penang, Malaysia/Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania/University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan/Retired from SALK-LKH and Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Austria/Technical College Pozarevac, Serbia
• Pages: 55-66

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov

Series VII: Social Sciences • Law • Vol. 10 (59) No. 2 - 2017

ETHICAL AND PREDATORY

PUBLISHING: EXPERIENCES AND

PERCEPTIONS OF RESEARCHERS

M.P. YEOH1 A. M. CAZAN2 S. ZAIB3

W. MUSS4 L. JACIC5

Abstract: This study examines the experiences of how a sample of 30

researchers in Europe and Asia express their perceptions, describe their

experiences, and navigate the challenges of predatory publishing. Most of the

respondents commented on lack of experience of researchers and also the

desire for quick publishing as reasons why inexperienced researchers use

predatory journals. Generally, respondents held negative views of predatory

journals describing them as fake journals. Respondents indicated that

difficulties for ethical publishing despite doing rigorous research. We

conclude that we should navigate our publishing so that we have the

resources and ability to do an honest, rigorous research.

Key words: peer-review, predatory journals, academic publishing.

1. Introduction

The present world of academia is fraught with challenges, and researchers face ethical

issues in publishing to share their work with the academic community and gain a sense of

personal and professional satisfaction (Lakhotia, 2015; Yeoh et al., 2016). Beall (2010)

introduced the term 'predatory publishers' to describe publishers of journals that did not

have a mission to promote science or scholarship, but are set up for monetary gain. They

promised peer review; but the reality was that there was hardly any high-quality peer

review, and it was not surprising the journal articles were a mixture of good, mediocre

and poor quality. Predatory journals also spam researchers to submit papers and collect a

publishing fee. At times, predatory journals do not mention a processing fee or

publication fee, until the research paper is submitted, and the author is obliged to pay a

large sum of GBP1000, for no review, and for a fake impact factor (Beall, 2013;

Gutierrez et al., 2015).

1 SEAMEO RECSAM, Penang, Malaysia, miranda@recsam.edu.my mirandayeoh118@gmail.com

2 Transilvania University of Braşov, Romania, ana.cazan@unitbv.ro

3 University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan, sabah.zaib@scholars.usindh.edu.pk

4 Retired from SALK-LKH and Paracelsus Medical University Salzbu rg, Austria, womuss@gmail.com

5 Technical College Pozarevac, Serbia, ljubomir.jacic@vts-pozarevac.edu .rs