Influence of Predatory Journals on the Publishing Behavior of Researchers From Countries With a Short Western-Style Academic Publishing Tradition. A Language Perspective

Abstract

Predatory journals are worthy studying because they threaten science by sparing resources and minimizing its perception. While these issues have been widely documented in the literature, the impact on the behavior of researchers has been less investigated. Western scholars, who can benefit culturally upon the experience of people more versed in publishing and take even courses in research writing, are not likely to be influenced by predatory publishers, unlike researchers from countries with a short academic publishing tradition. The present study addresses this latter influence, using a novel joint perspective, based on comparing examples from editorial experience with such authors and predatory calls, with a special attention to common attitudes and language elements, in order to test the hypothesis according to which behaviors and vocabulary strange to already established publishers are an effect of predatory practices. The analysis of examples is grouped around three topics: search for a fast and costly review; language showing exaggerate courtesy or lacking it completely; and a misunderstanding of the review process. Overall, the results sustain the hypothesis and, in addition, indicate that the awkward English of predatory publishers is taken as norm by authors from countries with a short academic publishing tradition. These findings urge the need for action against predatory publishers.