【 Don't Let Your Research Go to Waste! How to Identify Predatory Journals 】

Academic journals are one of the most important channels for the academic community to publish research topics and results. Through the dissemination of journal articles, researchers can stay abreast of scientific development trends and the latest research dynamics, thereby communicating and exchanging with the academic community.

In recent years, unscrupulous operators have developed a model of exchanging publication for author fees, ignoring or neglecting the academic substance and editorial quality of papers, and accepting papers for publication without rigorous peer review or without any peer review at all. As scholars in various countries face pressure to publish, this model has gradually emerged, impacting the healthy development of the academic community.

The international community has gradually become aware of the rise and spread of such opportunistic publishing, leading to the term "Predatory Publishers," and describing such journals as "Predatory Journals." Subsequently, many conferences held as international symposia have adopted similar contents and practices, and are thus called "Predatory Conferences." The issue of "Predatory Journals" or "Predatory Conferences" has alerted the international academic community.

Generally speaking, predatory journals or conferences cannot guarantee long-term (periodic) continuous publication or convening, are rarely included in well-known journal indexes, and are unlikely to produce positive influence, which does not help scholars accumulate academic prestige. In addition, due to the lack of rigorous peer review, it is difficult to provide a mechanism for contributors to refine and improve their research. Such journals and conferences are often questioned by the academic community regarding the quality of their published papers.

(Material excerpted from the statement on the issue of "Predatory Journals and Conferences" by the National Science and Technology Council)

【 1. Pre-registration Checks and Confirmation 】

The most commonly used conference checklist currently is the Conference Checker on the Think.Check.Attend website. You can judge a conference by examining aspects such as "Organizers and Sponsors," "Agenda, Preparatory Committee, and Program Committee," and "Conference Proceedings."

• "Think.Check.Attend Predatory Conference Check" URL: https://thinkcheckattend.org/conference-checker/
• "Think.Check.Submit Predatory Journal Self-Checklist" URL: https://thinkchecksubmit.org/journals/chinese-traditional/

【 2. Reference Lists for Reliable or Suspect Conferences 】

Some organizations and individuals establish reference lists based on specific purposes and needs, which can be reviewed before registration.

• "Beall’s List" URL: https://beallslist.net
• Verification of journal information via JCR:
  • Verify whether the JCR Journal Impact Factor value is true: https://ermg.mmc.edu.tw/user/login/?next=/er/geter/DB000000312/
  • JCR Suppressed Journal List URL: https://jcr.help.clarivate.com/Content/title-suppressions.htm
• National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Research and Development Office. Information on "Enhanced Review Journals" for the College of Medicine. URL: https://rd.mc.ntu.edu.tw/bomrd/ntu2/news_txt.asp?pno=5512

【 3. Post-registration Advice 】

According to the "Academic Ethics — Predatory Journals and Conferences" section of the Academia Sinica website, which cites the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute's (OHRI) Journalology webpage, faculty and students who have already submitted papers to predatory journals should take actions such as: refusing to pay publication fees, not signing copyright transfer agreements, demanding the withdrawal/retraction of the paper, refusing to pay retraction fees, and proactively disclosing this submission experience when submitting to other journals in the future to avoid further harm.

• Academia Sinica "Academic Ethics — Predatory Journals and Conferences" Section URL: https://ae.daais.sinica.edu.tw/pages/3695

【 4. More Information 】

The Ministry of Education has established a "Learning Materials Package on Predatory Journals and Conferences" on the "Taiwan Academic Ethics Education Resource Center" website, providing online courses, promotional materials, and relevant resources, which are continuously screened and updated. Please make good use of them.

• Taiwan Academic Ethics Education Resource Center "Learning Materials Package on Predatory Journals and Conferences" URL: https://ethics.moe.edu.tw/packagepost/detail/1/

【 5. Sources 】

1. Letter Ref. Tai-Jiao-Gao-(5)-Zi No. 1132201255 from the Ministry of Education, May 15, 2024.
2. National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). Statement by the NSTC on the issue of "Predatory Journals and Conferences." Retrieved from: https://www.nstc.gov.tw/folksonomy/detail/ac8b27c5-a08a-4804-9e0d-cbea4412c9a7?l=ch

【 6. Supplementary Materials 】

1. Chou, C., & Pan, S. A. (2020). Introduction and Prevention of Predatory Publishing. Retrieved from: https://ethics.moe.edu.tw/files/resource/knowledge/knowledge_02.pdf
2. Ke, H. R. (2020). Trends in Open Access Development. National Cheng Kung University Library Journal, (29), 1-15. https://www.lib.ncku.edu.tw/journal/pdf/29/29_01.pdf
3. Lin, C. H. (2024). Problems and Challenges in Scientific and Academic Publishing: From Predatory Journals to Mega-Journals. Taiwan Medical Library Association 2024 Annual Meeting and 46th Annual Meeting of Medical Library Staff. Retrieved from: https://www.taiwanmla.org/?page_id=22563