Predatory journals are those that "prioritize their self-interest at the expense of scholarship and are characterized by false or misleading information, poor editorial practices, and a lack of transparency." The term was coined by Jeffrey Beall (of Beall's list) to highlight the practice of open-access journals charging publication fees to fast-track articles into publication with little or no editorial oversight. This creates the possibility of misinformation entering 'the literature' (at least, at a rate greater than in traditional journals). But the question needs to be asked, say the authors, are the articles actually of poorer quality? The answer is nowhere as simple as it seems. Looking at citation patterns, for examples, reveals no real difference between these articles and those published in more reputable journals. "Moreover, the analysis revealed that the most frequently mentioned countries in the citances are India, Pakistan, and Iran, with mentions of Western countries being rare. This highlights a geopolitical bias and shows the usefulness of looking at such journals as mislocated centers of scholarly communication."
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