Strategies to curb young researchers from predatory publishers

Dear Editor, T letter addresses the current scenario of predatory publishers in the medical field and strategies to curb young researchers from predatory publishing. Today, the increasing trend and magnitude of predatory publishers have proposed a big challenge to young researchers in the medical field (1). Predatory publishers are publishers which publish papers with questionable peer review, charge enormous publication fees with unknown location of the real controlling entity (2). Jeffry Beall has updated the lists of predatory publications more recently (3). Predatory publishers are publishing bogus research which are harmful to the patient and the public and cause threat to the integrity of scientific research (4). It was evident from a recent study from India that predatory publications may have several publication houses with different names under a single roof to trap authors from different geographic locations (5). People with no research interest, persons with intention of quick publication for promotion, innocent researchers unaware of predatory unscientific practice are often victims to predatory publishers (6). More recently, World Association of Medical Editors has conveyed information about the role of Directory of open access journals (DOAJ). Beall’s list of predatory publications and think check submit criteria in distinguishing predatory from legitimate publications were appreciated throughout the globe (7). The young researchers should keep the above attributes related to predatory publishers in mind. The following strategies (individualwise and communitywise) should be implemented to curb young researchers from predatory publishing. If the researcher had got invitation to submit an article from a predatory publisher as email, he/she should follow Beall’s list of predatory publications, think check submit criteria and Directory of open access journals (DOAJ) and PubMed indexation to authenticate the publisher. World Association of Medical Editors should initiate continuing medical education programs and workshops regarding predatory publishers throughout the globe through regional bodies such as Indian Association of Medical Journal Editors (India), Pakistan Association of Medical Editors (Pakistan) and Iranian Society of Medical Editors (Iran). The members of the above-said associations should conduct workshops and continuing medical education programs in regional areas to encourage ethical publishing in future. It will be more interesting if World Association of Medical Editors has come up with predatory publishers, detecting software installed in Medical Universities similar to plagiarism detection software to halt the flourishing of predatory publishers.