The Risky Business of Publishing: don’t get scammed

Whether it’s finding information for people or helping researchers to get published librarians pride themselves on being the gateway to high quality information.

However, the publishing landscape is becoming more complex.

Alongside legitimate open access journals, there has been a significant rise in predatory publishers, and the emergence of hijacked journals. Ease of publication is causing 'AI slop' which is infecting the research evidence base with fake data sets, hallucinated content, erroneous interpretation, and biases.

Why does this matter?

There is a real need for librarians to advocate for quality, trusted evidence. Poor quality or misleading evidence is starting to infect guidelines, policies and clinical and service development.

Understanding and raising awareness of the risks are key areas of health literacy. Noone should risk their personal or organisational reputation by undermining trust and giving doubts in competence.

What is a predatory journal?

Predatory journals are publications that put financial gain above scholarly integrity. They often charge article processing fees while providing little or no genuine peer review, editorial oversight, or publishing standards.

The term was popularised by librarian Jeffrey Beall, who highlighted publishers engaging in unethical practices and went on to create Beall’s list.

Common characteristics include:

• Aggressive and persistent email invitations to submit manuscripts
• Promises of unusually rapid publication
• Limited or nonexistent peer review
• Misleading claims about indexing, institutional affiliations, or impact factors
• Unclear ownership, governance, or editorial processes
• Editorial board members who are difficult to track down

Many researchers first encounter predatory journals through unsolicited emails. These messages frequently flatter recipients about their previous work and invite submissions that fall outside their area of expertise.

What is a hijacked journal?

Unlike predatory journals, which may operate as publications in their own right, hijacked journals steal the identity of an existing title.

Hijacked journals are fraudulent websites that impersonate a legitimate, established journal. The perpetrators create a convincing online presence, often copying branding, journal titles, International Standard Serial Numbers (ISSNs) and editorial information from the genuine publication.

Sometimes the web addresses are similar, with only a character changed. Researchers are then persuaded to submit articles and pay publication fees.

Why are healthcare researchers vulnerable?

Several factors increase vulnerability:

• Pressure to publish research
• Limited experience of scholarly publishing among new researchers
• The growth of open access publishing models
• Increasing sophistication of fraudulent websites and communications
• Lack of funding opportunities for local small-scale research or improvement work

Early career researchers, healthcare staff doing higher degrees, and staff publishing for the first time may be particularly at risk. However, experienced researchers have also been deceived by convincing hijacked journal websites.

Warning signs to look for

When supporting researchers, encourage them to stop and think about the following red flags.

1. Unrealistic publication timescales: Peer review takes time, so quick publication is a red flag
2. Poor website quality: Check for bad grammar, broken links, missing contacts, and inconsistencies
3. Unverified editorial boards: You should be able to find out who the editors are, and where they work from their institutional profiles or other reliable sources
4. False indexing claims: Check to see if publishers are indexed in the research databases, they say they are
5. Suspicious email invitations: Generic email greetings with flattery, pressure for quick submission, and citing previous or inappropriate work
6. Journal title confusion: Names are similar to real publication titles. Always check and submit through credible publisher websites

How librarians can help

NHS librarians are already skilled in appraising evidence and teaching people information literacy. These skills translate naturally into supporting safe publishing practices.

Practical approaches include:

• Incorporating publishing literacy into training for responsible open access publishing and verification of credentials
• Promoting trusted tools: How to recognise and check database indexing, quality journals, and local publication routes. Specialist support is often available locally
• Using a "stop and check" approach: Before submission, researchers should ask:

 

• Is the publisher clearly identified?
• Is peer review described transparently?
• Can editorial board members be verified?
• Is the journal indexed where it claims to be?
• Have publication fees been clearly explained?
• Does the journal's scope match the manuscript?

 

• Encouraging consultation: Librarians can position themselves as a source of advice before submission, helping researchers to avoid financial or reputational risk
• Use LibKey Nomad: LibKey Nomad has a built-in use of Retraction Watch which alerts people if certain articles have been retracted or draw on by retracted papers
• Monitoring local publications: Sharing with experts and flagging any concerns

The challenge is not simply helping researchers publish - it is helping them publish well

Further information can be found at the Writing for Publication resource.