In the ever-evolving world of academic publishing, the term “predatory” has become widely used to describe a certain class of journals and publishers. While it may seem like an apt description, there are several reasons why we believe this label is not only problematic but also misleading.
The problem with the term “predatory”
From a biological perspective, predation refers to a scenario where one organism, the predator, kills and consumes another organism for survival—the prey, which becomes the depredated.
When we apply the term “predatory” to academic journals, we see a mismatch, since the label is currently associated with concepts such as:
- High acceptance rates and fast-track publishing
- Lack of a rigorous peer review process
- Articles that are published even when peer reviewers recommend rejection
- Frequent spelling and grammatical errors compared to legitimate journals
- Spam solicitations to researchers, urging them to submit manuscripts, sometimes via email or other platforms
- No retraction policy
- Poor web design
- Recognition on “predatory journals” lists like https://www.predatoryjournals.org
- Not indexed in major databases
But for us, a journal simply becomes predatory when it seeks profit by charging APCs (Article Processing Charges) to authors or institutions—preying on them as the depredated victims of the system.
When financial gain becomes the priority, the value of academic work takes a backseat.
It’s not necessarily about fraud or deceit in the research itself—many so-called “predatory journals” may still publish scientifically sound articles—but their exploitative practices, like charging high article processing charges (APCs) or taking copyrights, place profit above the integrity of scholarly work.
This perspective leads us to believe that many journals, including well-known ones like Elsevier, which charge high fees for open access and also retain copyright control unless authors pay, should also be considered predatory. The fundamental issue isn’t the quality of the research but rather the business model that prioritizes revenue over academic integrity.
Questionable research practices vs. predatory models
However, it’s crucial to note that some journals go beyond being simply predatory and also engage in the questionable research practices that we have mentioned before. For this type of behavior, we need to create a distinct term, as it involves both financial exploitation and compromised academic standards.
This separation allows for a clearer understanding: predatory journals are profit-driven but not necessarily fraudulent in their practices, whereas journals that exhibit questionable research practices put both authors and the scientific community at risk by publishing unverified, low-quality, or even plagiarized content.