Publications in Predatory Journals Bring Risk to Authors and Harm to Patients

By Cynthia Plonien, DNP, RN, CENP

Nurses rely on scholarly articles for research and evidence-based practice to guide and improve clinical practice. Accessing and utilizing false information easily published in a predatory journal can result in ethical, moral and legal consequence to clinicians and harm to patients.

Facts

• In the year 2020, the volume of predatory journals escalated. According to Cabell’s list of predatory journals, the number now exceeds 1,200 (1).
• Predatory journals operate with a business model of Open Access (OA), which includes pay-to-publish.
• Open Access (OA) is a recent movement in publishing supported by government and academic institutions to remove barriers and facilitate dissemination of scientific research and evidence-based practice through the Internet. 
• The OA model has “gifted” an opportunity for access to scholarly articles, research and evidence-based studies, expanding the knowledge base of professionals, as well as students, in all scientific communities.
• Predatory journals have exploited the OA model for financial gain.
• The OA model allows for payment for publication by an author to cover processing fees incurred with publishing, whcih may include processing charges, peer review, editing and marketing (2).
• Major concerns related to the use of predatory journals include lack of legitimate peer review processes, the absence of editorial leadership and ethics and fabricated metrics (2).
• Consequentially, citing of unreliable articles in scholarly research is now emerging in scientific literature, spreading information that may not be credible for use by researchers and care providers (3).
• The American Medical Writers Association, European Medical Writers Association and the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals issued a Joint Position Statement on predatory publishing in July of 2019, warning of the danger of predatory journals - to those publishing their work and to the work itself - in undermining the quality, integrity and reliability of published scientific research (4).

Typically, predatory journals seek manuscripts through email to potential authors. Publication is through the internet. Their reach encompasses every professional nurse. As leaders in nursing and health care, it is our responsibility to be aware, inform colleagues and continue to learn about predatory publishing, the dangers inherent in authorship of articles published in predatory journals and the use of information found in articles for practice and research.

1. Cabell’s Blacklist of Predatory Journals Surpasses 1,200. Retrieved Jan. 24, 2020. https://thepublicationplan.com/privacy-policy/
2. Gerberi, Daniel. Predatory Journals: Alerting Nurses to Potentially Unreliable. AJN, Vol. 118, (P 62-65).
3. Oermann, H. et al. Citations of articles in predatory nursing journals. Nursing Outlook, Vol 67:6 (P 664-670).
4. Predatory journals could damage the legitimacy of scientific publishing. Retrieved Jan. 24, 2020. https://phys.org/news/2019-07-predatory-journals-legitimacy-scientific-publishing.html