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Predatory Publishing, Retractions and Preprints

This guide will give you tips on what to look out for in predatory publishing and how to find retracted publications

What To Look For

 

  • Images appear distorted or fuzzy
  • Journal does not have an ISSN
  • Vague or Incomplete contact information
  • Promise of rapid publication
  • Unclear or deceptive fees
  • Fake names listed on editorial board
  • Published articles are plagarized, fake, unscientifically sound or low quality

What To Look For

 

  • Website contains grammatical, spelling and formatting errors
  • Check address of journal to make sure it is legitimate
  • Publisher may keep APC (article processing charge) without publishing article
  • Impact Factors and Index Statuses may be fake
  • Publisher may not return article and retain copyright

What To Look For

 

  • Disreputable Journals may choose a name similar to a reputable journal-  e.g.  International Journal of Nursing
  • Hijacked Publication - when a disreputable publisher buys a previously reputable journal and does not continue peer review process


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What To Look For

  • Is the journal indexed in MEDLINE (Pubmed)?
    • If not indexed in MEDLINE, journal may be questionable
    • May also mean that journal is too new or is out of the scope of MEDLINE
    • You can search the NLM Catalog to check

Librarian

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Jeanne Strausman
Contact:
Chief Medical Librarian
NYIT/College of Osteopathic Medicine
516.686.3779
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