Predatory Publishing

Definition

Predatory (sometimes “vanity”) publishing describes a range of business practices in which publishers seek to profit, primarily by collecting article processing charges (APCs), from publishing scientific works without necessarily providing legitimate quality checks (e.g., peer review) or editorial services. In its most extreme form, predatory publishers will publish any work, so long as charges are paid. Other less extreme strategies, such as sending out high numbers of unsolicited requests for editing or publishing in fee-driven special issues, have also been accused as predatory (Crosetto, 2021).