I recently read with interest a blog post by Christopher Morley, PhD, published in STFM (Society of Teachers of Family Medicine) that really struck a chord with me.  In his post, he lists ten steps to help spot a publisher that an author should definitely not engage with.

Predatory or deceptive publishers continue to plague the scholarly communication landscape, with some publishers truly behaving like wolves in sheep’s clothing. This is not the first time I blog about this topic, as awareness into this dubious practice is vital for all of us who provide access to scholarly research journals. The most important thing we can do for researchers, whether they are just starting their publishing careers or are seasoned authors, is to highlight this issue and make them aware of unscrupulous publishers. Below is a summary of Dr. Morley’s ten steps which researchers can use as a checklist, whether they receive an email solicitation or if they are searching for a possible place to publish.  You can read his full post here. Continue reading →