Susan Veldsman, the Director of the Scholarly Publication Unit at the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), spoke on the challenges and solutions to predatory publishing and how we can build a trustworthy research environment. During her presentation, she gave an introduction to what predatory journals are, how predatory publishing challenges Open Science and Open Access, the impact of predatory publishing on the African research ecosystem alongside tools and recommendations.

Watch the recording

The slides are available at https://africarxiv.ubuntunet.net/handle/1/1855

Speaker’s Profile:

Susan Veldsman is Director of the Scholarly Publication Unit at the Academy of Sciences in South Africa (ASSAf), responsible for driving the Open Science agenda, to raise the visibility, discoverability and accessibility of South African scholarly journals, improve the quality of SA research output, and support the development of policy frameworks in order to facilitate optimal use and access to publicly funded research. In 2017, she received the Electronic Publishing Trust (EPT) award for her outstanding contribution to the promotion of Open Access in Developing Countries. Recently, she was the Co-chair of the IAP Report on “Combatting Predatory Journals and Conferences”, which was launched on the 16th March 2022. She also received special recognition for her role in establishing the SciELO SA platform in South Africa at the most recent SciELO 25 years celebrations.

Questions that were addressed during the session:

What is predatory publishing, and why is it a major concern for African researchers?

Predatory publishing refers to unethical academic publishing practices where journals prioritize profit over academic integrity, often bypassing proper peer review and editorial standards. They typically charge high article processing fees, promise quick publication, and mimic legitimate journals.

This is a concern for African researchers for several reasons:

• Limited resources: Researchers often lack access to funding to publish in reputable OA journals, leading them to fall for predatory options with seemingly low requirements.
• Pressure to publish: The “publish or perish” academic culture, combined with inadequate mentorship, makes researchers desperate for publication, often overlooking quality.
• Lack of awareness: Many are unaware of the criteria distinguishing legitimate from predatory journals.
• Reputational damage: Associating with predatory outlets can tarnish a researcher’s academic credibility, especially when applying for grants or collaborations internationally.

To what extent is predatory publishing a challenge for Open Science and Open Access publishing, particularly in Africa?

Predatory publishing presents a significant challenge for the advancement of Open Science and Open Access (OA) in Africa. While OA aims to democratize access to knowledge, predatory journals exploit this model by charging authors fees without providing legitimate peer review, editorial oversight, or indexing.

In Africa, where institutional support and funding for research can be limited, predatory publishers target vulnerable researchers eager to publish. This undermines trust in Open Access as a whole, taints the reputation of African scholarship, and hampers the continent’s participation in the global research community. The proliferation of such journals also means that poor-quality or unethical research can enter the public domain, affecting policymaking, health systems, and academic progress on the continent.

How can researchers identify and avoid predatory journals?

Avoid predatory journals by being vigilant and using the following strategies:

• Check journal indexing: Reputable journals are indexed in databases like DOAJ, or AJOL.
• Verify publisher reputation: Research the publisher’s background. Established publishers have recognizable standards and are recognized in the scholarly community.
• Look at the peer review process: Predatory journals promise unrealistically fast publication without meaningful peer review.
• Examine the editorial board: Ensure listed board members are real and have verifiable academic affiliations.
• Use watchlists and directories:
  • Think. Check. Submit. initiative
  • DOAJ for legitimate open access journals
  • African Journals Online (AJOL) for African journals

What impact does publishing in a predatory journal have on a researcher’s career and credibility?

The consequences of publishing in predatory journals are often serious and long-lasting:

• Academic marginalization: Articles are unlikely to be cited or recognized in academic evaluations or promotion exercises.
• Ineligibility for grants: Funding bodies and international collaborators may view such publications as lacking credibility.
• Reputational damage: Publishing in dubious journals can damage a researcher’s personal and institutional reputation.
• Difficulty in publishing elsewhere: Quality journals may be skeptical of future submissions from authors linked to predatory outlets.

For African scholars, whose visibility and legitimacy are still under global scrutiny, such mistakes can hinder their international recognition.

What initiatives or resources are available to help African researchers publish in reputable journals?

Several regional and international initiatives aim to support African researchers:

• African Journals Online (AJOL): A platform providing access to African-published scholarly journals with peer review standards.
• AuthorAID (INASP): Offers training, mentoring, and resources to help researchers improve academic writing and publishing skills.
• Think. Check. Submit.: A global campaign that educates researchers on how to choose trustworthy journals.
• Training from universities and libraries: Some African institutions provide workshops and guidelines for ethical publishing.
• Collaborations with international scholars: Co-authoring with experienced researchers can improve awareness of good publishing practices.
• Open Access Africa initiatives: Promoting equitable access to publishing and research outputs for the continent.
• Institutional repositories, AfricArXiv, and Baobab: Share your research manuscripts as preprints and related scholarly works on trusted institutional repositories free of charge.

What advice do you have for researchers who may have unknowingly published in a predatory journal?

If you’ve published in a predatory journal, it’s important not to panic but to take constructive steps:

• Be transparent: Acknowledge the mistake if asked, and demonstrate your understanding of the issue and commitment to avoiding it in the future.
• Avoid citing the work through the predatory publisher’s website: This limits its exposure and impact, preventing further reputational risk. Instead, share the manuscript in a repository like AfricArXiv, Baobab or your institutional repository to make it citable from there.
• Seek mentorship: Work with senior scholars or research ethics offices to plan better publication strategies.
• Learn from the experience: Engage with ethical publishing guidelines and participate in academic writing and publishing workshops.
• Focus on building a strong portfolio: Publish high-quality work in reputable journals to re-establish credibility.

Remember, many early-career researchers globally—not just in Africa—have fallen prey to these journals. What matters most is how you grow from the experience.

About the webinar series

This webinar series is co-organized by: UbuntuNet Alliance and Access 2 Perspectives and supported by the African Open Science Platform (AOSP)