New Year's Resolution: Say No to Fake Journals and Conferences

Table of Contents

• Key Points
• Why This Editorial Matters to You
• What Are Predatory Journals and Conferences?
• How These Scams Recruit Victims
• A Real-Life Example of a Sham Conference
• The Explosive Growth of Predatory Publishing
• The Many Ways These Scams Harm You
• Legal Action: The FTC Takes On OMICS Group
• How to Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones
• A Note of Caution
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Source Information

Key Points

• Predatory journals and conferences are scams that skip peer review and exploit researchers for profit.
• Nearly 8,000 predatory journals published about 420,000 articles in 2014 alone, growing rapidly.
• Flawed research in fake journals can be cited by sellers of unproven pills and supplements, misleading patients.
• The FTC sued predatory publisher OMICS Group in 2016, but predatory publishing continues to thrive.
• Check if a journal is in PubMed or DOAJ and be skeptical of grand, rushed, or poorly written research invitations.

Why This Editorial Matters to You

You've probably seen them yourself: emails with grand titles like "13th Annual Global Investigations on Obesity and Metabolomics" or invitations to submit research to the "International Journal of Weight Loss Research" with guaranteed acceptance within 48 hours. These solicitations may look impressive, but they are actually traps set by what the authors call predatory journals and predatory conferences.

You might be thinking, "I'm not a researcher, so why should I care?" The answer is simple: these fake publications and meetings are designed to make money by publishing research—any research—without proper quality checks. This means that questionable studies can appear legitimate, sometimes even ending up cited in news articles or used to sell weight-loss pills and other products. For anyone trying to make informed health decisions, this is a serious problem.

What Are Predatory Journals and Conferences?

A predatory journal is a scam online publication that "publishes" articles for a fee. The authors call them "scam online publications that swindle researchers to publish for payment." They will accept anything, no matter how flawed, and they skip standard procedures like peer review (the process where experts check the quality of the research) and indexing in legitimate databases (like PubMed). These journals are profit-generating businesses that only pretend to be scholarly.

A predatory conference is a bogus event that poses as a scientific meeting. These are organized by profit-driven companies, not by professional societies or accredited universities. Their main goal is to collect registration fees. Even when they organize an actual physical gathering, it is a makeshift, poorly run event that has little to do with real science.

Both types of fraud exploit the academic world's need to publish and present research. They use aggressive email marketing and misleading spam to lure busy professionals and sometimes, the public.

How These Scams Recruit Victims

The emails often arrive with odd writing—broken English, inconsistent fonts, and grandiose language. They may copy the names of well-known journals to look official, like creating a publication called Obesity: Open Access to imitate the real journal Obesity.

These operations "recruit via aggressive marketing and misleading spam emails, with no intention of following through on their false promises." They add respected researchers' names to editorial boards without consent, list "organizing committee" members who never agreed to serve, and invent connections to famous professors to build trust.

One shocking anecdote from the editorial describes a colleague who was tricked into allowing her name and university affiliation to appear on a predatory conference's organizing committee. She was recruited through a spam email that falsely claimed a senior colleague of hers had been a prior speaker and editorial board member—both were made up. The conference location was also abruptly changed from the UK to Spain without notice, and it's unclear whether anyone ultimately attended.

A Real-Life Example of a Sham Conference

The authors share a first-hand account from a researcher at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) who unknowingly attended a predatory conference. This person called it "a total sham of a meeting." Although the event was billed as a major international conference, fewer than two dozen people actually attended. The researcher only discovered that his name was on the "organizing committee" for marketing purposes after the fact—he had never been asked for input. In addition, fewer than half of the scheduled speakers even showed up, and many had likely never committed to speaking at all. Every attendee received a fabricated award, which tells you just how meaningless such honors are.

The Explosive Growth of Predatory Publishing

Predatory publishing has grown at an alarming pace. One widely used blacklist (a list of known or suspected predatory publishers) counted nearly 2,000 predatory publishers and journals in 2016. A longitudinal study, published in BMC Medicine in 2015, identified nearly 8,000 predatory journals that together published an estimated 420,000 articles in 2014 alone.

To put that number in perspective, this is an order of magnitude larger than in 2010—that is, about 10 times more. The authors warn that given this growth rate, we are likely approaching 1 million articles published by predatory journals today. That is an enormous amount of potentially unreliable research flooding the scientific landscape.

The Many Ways These Scams Harm You

These predatory operations cause harm in several significant ways, all of which eventually affect patients like you. Here are the key harms described in the editorial:

• They steal opportunities: Predatory conferences lure unsuspecting learners away from legitimate meetings, and predatory journals distract researchers from submitting their work to reputable, peer-reviewed outlets. This impedes real education and scientific progress.
• They rip people off: The editorial cites a study showing an average publication charge of $178 per article, but many accounts describe far higher fees. One researcher was charged $2,700—and only learned about the fee structure after his article was already accepted.
• They act as a vanity press: These journals happily print weak or illegitimate research without any academic control or integrity. This gives an air of credibility to work that would never pass a proper review.
• They pollute the scientific literature: When flawed articles are published online without peer review, their quality is highly questionable. Even worse, if an author refuses to pay the unreasonable fees, the journal can "hijack" the work, making it impossible to publish elsewhere. And if a genuinely good article is published in a predatory journal, it may not be indexed in important databases, so it becomes lost to the scientific community.
• They exploit reputations: Many researchers and organizations are added to editorial boards without ever being asked. This gives an undeserved sheen of legitimacy to the predatory publication and misleads others.
• They give snake-oil salesmen fuel: This is perhaps the most direct harm to patients. When consumers, journalists, and other non-scientists see "published research," they often accept it as solid evidence. Predatory journals make it easy for people selling dubious pills, potions, and supplements to cite "science" that was never properly vetted.

Legal Action: The FTC Takes On OMICS Group

In August 2016, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against OMICS Group, one of the most notorious predatory publishing companies. The FTC charged that OMICS had "scheme[d] researchers out of millions of dollars," ignored peer review, listed editorial board members without their consent, hid publication fees until after articles were accepted, and held research hostage until fees were paid.

This lawsuit was a landmark step. However, the authors express skepticism that it will have much lasting effect. Their prediction is that predatory publishers will simply shift their practices to skirt the regulations. The editorial was published in 2017, and history has shown that indeed, predatory publishing continues to thrive in various forms.

How to Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones

Even though this advice was written for researchers, it holds valuable lessons for everyone. In general, be skeptical of anything that looks too grand or too easy. Here are actionable steps you can take:

1. For patients: When you see a claim that something is "proven" by research, ask whether the study appeared in a reputable, well-known journal. Check if the journal is listed in major scientific databases like PubMed or the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). Be suspicious of studies cited by weight-loss product sellers unless they appear in recognized medical journals.
2. For researchers and clinicians: If you receive an email requesting a submission or inviting you to speak at a conference, look it over carefully. Is the writing professional? Does it make impossible promises like guaranteed acceptance in 48 hours? If the sender has a comically grand title like "Sir Jim Davis," be wary. The authors advise: "Don't respond, and highlight it as spam."
3. Check blacklists and whitelists: To verify a journal or conference, consult published blacklists (for example, scholarlyoa.com) which list potential or probable predatory journals, and whitelists such as the Directory of Open Access Journals, which lists vetted open-access journals.
4. Spread awareness: Share this information with students, colleagues, family, and friends. The more people know about these scams, the harder it is for the scammers to succeed.

A Note of Caution

This editorial is based on the professional experience of the authors and on data available in 2016. Since then, the landscape of predatory publishing has changed considerably. Although the numbers cited (e.g., 8,000 journals and 420,000 articles in 2014) were accurate at the time, the exact number of active predatory journals today is difficult to estimate because these operations frequently appear, disappear, and rebrand. Also, not all journals on any blacklist are equally bad; some may have acceptable practices, which is why experts recommend checking multiple sources.

The authors are guest editors of Obesity, a legitimate peer-reviewed journal. Their standpoint may be influenced by a desire to protect the reputation of the legitimate publishing industry. Nonetheless, their warnings are consistent with independent research and official actions by government agencies like the FTC.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are predatory journals and conferences?

Predatory journals are scam online publications that accept articles for a fee without proper peer review or quality checks. Predatory conferences are bogus events that pose as scientific meetings but mainly collect registration fees. Both exploit researchers and can mislead patients by making unreliable research look legitimate.

Why should patients care about fake scientific journals?

Fake journals can make weak or flawed research appear credible. When you see a claim that a product or treatment is 'proven,' the study might have been published in a predatory journal without review. This can mislead you into buying unproven pills or supplements, harming your health decisions.

What harm do predatory journals cause to patients?

Predatory journals pollute scientific literature with unvetted research, allowing sellers of dubious pills and supplements to cite 'science' that was never properly reviewed. This tricks patients and journalists into accepting false claims. They also exploit researcher reputations and charge hidden fees, but the main harm to patients is misleading health information.

What did the U.S. Federal Trade Commission do about predatory publishers?

In August 2016, the FTC filed a lawsuit against OMICS Group, a major predatory publisher, charging they schemed researchers out of millions of dollars, ignored peer review, listed board members without consent, hid fees, and held research hostage. The authors were skeptical it would have lasting effect, noting that publishers might shift practices.

How can I protect myself from being misled by fake research?

If you see a research claim, ask whether the study appeared in a reputable, well-known journal. Check if the journal is listed in PubMed or DOAJ. Be skeptical of 'research' cited by product sellers. Spread awareness about these scams so others are less likely to be deceived.

Are all open-access journals or blacklisted journals equally bad?

No. Not all journals on blacklists are equally bad; some may have acceptable practices. Experts recommend checking multiple sources. The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is a whitelist of vetted open-access journals. However, predatory journals skip peer review and standard quality checks, so always verify a journal's reputation before trusting its research.

Should I get a second opinion before trusting a treatment that cites research from a journal I've never heard of?

Predatory journals publish research without proper peer review, so claims based on their articles may be unreliable. If a recommended treatment, especially a weight-loss product, cites a study from a journal you do not recognize, seek a second opinion before proceeding. Ask your clinician to verify whether the study appeared in a reputable journal listed in databases like PubMed or the Directory of Open Access Journals. A second opinion can help you determine whether the evidence is trustworthy and whether the treatment is actually appropriate for you. Diagnostic Detectives Network provides independent expert second opinions.

Source Information

Original Article: "New Year's Resolution: Say No to Fake Journals and Conferences"

Authors: Scott Kahan, MD, MPH (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences) and Robert F. Kushner, MD (Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine).

Publication: Obesity, Volume 25, Number 1, January 2017, pages 11–12. DOI: 10.1002/oby.21738

Publisher: The Obesity Society / Wiley

This patient-friendly article is based on peer-reviewed research and editorial content. It is intended for educational purposes only and does not replace professional medical advice.