Quality of Open Access

Predatory Publishing designated business models of dubious publishers. Those pretend to release sophisticated academic journals and collect charges from the authors for services not provided. The challenge consisting of journals or also conference reports not complying with the criteria of good scientific conduct is not characteristic for electronic publications or even Open Access but may also emerge in the context of other publication manners.

Please check carefully by the characteristics and checklists below where you publish and on which conferences you present your results. Please observe the Policy for the assurance of good scientific conduct at Chemnitz University of Technology (PDF, German) and, in case of uncertainty, make use of the consultancy services provided by the University Library.

The University Library has licensed a database listing journals where a range of characteristics indicate that they are fake-journals: Cabells Blacklist.

However, the dubious quality of a journal may not necessarily being transferred on every article published. In the end, the decision on the manner of publication is up to the respective authors.

What are fake-journals?

Those journals differ from reputable journals by their unethical business practices.

1. Checklists regarding dubious offers

• Information regarding dubious (thesis) publishers

  Characteristics

  • no quality assurance
  • no importance dedicated to dissemination and marketing
  • mass letters/ emails to doctoral candidates
  • frequently a large number of titles per year
  • often extensive book prices
  • advertise frequently with high author remunerations and/ or free publishing
  • outsource publisher-characteristic works like cover design to the authors

  Checklist

  • Does the publisher release too many titles per year?
  • Are the book prices of the publisher too expensive?
  • Does the publisher advertise with high author remunerations?
  • Does the publisher advertise with pretended free publishing?
  • Does the publisher care for dissemination (marketing)?
  • Does the publisher also release course papers?
  • Do you have the opportunity to participate in the design of the cover?
  • Does the publisher distribute versions for reviews?
  • Is it a PrintOnDemand-publisher?
  • Does the publisher advertise with remunerations of the collecting societies (Germany: VG Wort, Austria: Literar Mechana)?
  • Example: OmniScriptum Publishing Group

  Source: Presentation University Library Graz (pdf)