Predatory nursing journals: A case study of author prevalence and characteristics

Abstract

Background: Predatory publishing poses a fundamental threat to the development of nursing knowledge. Previous research has suggested that authors of papers published in predatory journals are mainly inexperienced researchers from low- and middle-income countries. Less attention has been paid to contributors from high-income countries. Aim: To describe the prevalence and characteristics of Swedish authors publishing in predatory nursing journals. Design: Quantitative descriptive case study. Participants and research context: Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the academic positions and academic affiliations of the authors of 39 papers published in predatory nursing journals during 2018 and 2019. Predatory nursing journals with Swedish contributors were identified by searching public listings of papers and applying a set of criteria. Journal site archives were used to identify additional papers with Swedish authors. Ethical considerations: This study was conducted in accordance with national regulations and ethical principles of research. Results: Almost two-thirds of Swedish authors publishing in predatory nursing journals hold senior academic positions. A small group of higher education institutions account for a majority of academic affiliations. Findings suggest that higher education institutions and experienced nursing researchers from Sweden make substantial contributions to predatory nursing journals, but that predatory publication habits might be concentrated in a limited number of academics and research milieus. A year-to-year comparison indicates that the prevalence of publishing in predatory journals might be diminishing. Discussion: Swedish nurse researchers help legitimize predatory journals, thus jeopardizing the trustworthiness of academic nursing knowledge. Substandard papers in predatory journals may pass as legitimate and be used to further academic careers. Experienced researchers are misleading junior colleagues, as joint publications might become embarrassments and liabilities. Conclusion: While the academic nursing community needs to address the problem of predatory publishing, there is some hope that educational efforts might have an effect on combating predatory publishing in nursing.

Publishing in Predatory Journals: Guidelines for Nursing Faculty in Promotion and Tenure Policies

“…Many studies have examined predatory journals across academic disciplines. In nursing, research has documented the extent of predatory nursing journals, questionable peer review done by these journals, lack of adherence to editorial standards, limited qualifications of editors and editorial board members, inaccurate information at the journal websites, and poor quality of content in articles (Edie & Conklin, 2019;Gabrielsson et al, 2020;McCann & Polacsek, 2018;Oermann et al, 2016Oermann et al, , 2018Owens & Nicoll, 2019). When articles published in predatory journals are cited in subsequent publications, the information is disseminated beyond the original article into other literature.…”

“…Some scholars may simply be naïve to the characteristics and consequences of predatory publications (Pond et al, 2019), but Mills and Inouye (2021) suggest that some faculty may intentionally publish in these journals to advance their careers, with awareness of their personal challenges in publishing, such as English language proficiency, slow reviews, and time to publication in non-predatory journals. In a study of the prevalence and characteristics of Swedish authors who publish in predatory nursing journals, Gabrielsson et al (2020) concluded that publishing articles in predatory journals legitimizes those journals and, importantly, jeopardizes the trustworthiness of nursing knowledge.…”

Predatory conferences: a systematic scoping review

“…Predatory journals have significantly infiltrated the academic publishing world, and many papers have raised awareness about the perils of publishing in such journals. [1][2][3][4][5][6] Predatory journals and conferences are often perceived as two sides of the same coin; nevertheless, literature on predatory conferences (PC) is noticeably lacking. 7 Academic conferences are essential to researchers and an integral part of scientific communication, as they offer an opportunity for sharing research findings, building networks and obtaining valuable new information.…”

“…Predatory journals have significantly infiltrated the academic publishing world, and many papers have raised awareness about the perils of publishing in such journals 1–6. Predatory journals and conferences are often perceived as two sides of the same coin; nevertheless, literature on predatory conferences (PC) is noticeably lacking 7.…”

Authors publishing repeatedly in predatory journals: An analysis of Scopus articles

“…Studies of the prevalence and characteristics of authors publishing in predatory journals have shown that the authors tend to be inexperienced (Bagues et al, 2019; Xia et al, 2015), however experience alone does not explain the author profile as argued by Mertkan, Aliusta, and Suphi (2021). Authors of publications in predatory journals are in some cases highly experienced (Gabrielsson et al, 2021; Wallace & Perri, 2018). Recent studies have explored further characteristics of authors publishing in predatory journals from specific fields and countries.…”