what is a predatory journal

A predatory journal is an exploitative academic publishing business model that takes advantage of authors by charging publication fees without providing proper peer-review or editing services. These journals misrepresent their publishing practices and often falsely claim to provide peer review, hide information about article processing charges (APCs), and misrepresent members of the journals editorial board. They prioritize self-interest at the expense of scholarship and lack transparency. Predatory publishers attempt to deceive authors to publish for a fee without providing robust peer-review or editorial services, thereby putting profit over trustworthy and dependable science. Some of the dangers of publishing with a predatory publisher include publishing in a journal that is not recognized as legitimate, having your work associated with a disreputable publisher, and having your work not be indexed in reputable databases. It is important to be cautious when submitting to a journal and to do research to ensure that the journal is reputable and follows proper academic standards for publishing.