All researchers know the adage ‘Publish or perish.’ This has led to two consequences, one good and one bad. For a long time, the first has been to provide serious journals with very strict quality control over the scientific value of articles. But the arrival of the Internet has led to journals that are no longer in paper but electronic (Open Source) by altering the economic model: it is no longer the reader who pays, but the author. It is a gap into which ‘scientific scammers’ have rushed based on the principle that an article for which an author has paid should not be rejected.

The second consequence is the emergence of predatory scientific journals, whose purpose is no longer to advance research, but to generate profits. According to the French Office of Scientific Integrity, citing Nature, their definition is as follows: “predatory journals and publishers are entities that prioritize personal interests over knowledge and are characterized by false or misleading information, a deviation from good editorial and publishing practices, lack of transparency, and/or the use of aggressive and indiscriminate solicitation practices.” Warning: not all open access journals are necessarily predatory!

Several criteria can be used to identify this type of journal, referenced for example on the Stop Predatory Journals website, the open science website of the University of Rennes 1, or in the UNESCO guide. These criteria include:

– requesting submissions by email to publish

– the delivery of articles by email

– very short publication deadlines

– a very high manuscript acceptance rate

– lack of transparency in the editorial process (especially in peer review)

– lack of a withdrawal policy, etc.

Check https://www.predatoryjournals.org/the-list/journals for a list of more than 7,500 titles.

We strongly urge readers, especially young doctoral students, not to fall into such traps, so be well informed before looking for a place to publish.