Like thousands of young African researchers, I am a victim of a predatory journal. I published my first research paper in a predatory journal. I was young, I was ignorant, and I was looking for validation. And a predatory journal took advantage of all of this.

Predatory journals are con artists. They pry on your ignorance and take advantage of your pride. But what is a predatory journal? A predatory journal is a journal that charge researchers submission fees but offers little or no peer review or editorial support. Hence, the primary goal of a predatory journal is profit rather than advancement of sound scholarship.

How I published in a predatory journal and why I regret it

I threw my pearls in a pigsty when I published in a predatory journal.

In undergrad, I studied the occurrence of acrylamide in traditional foods consumed in Zimbabwe. Since I didn’t have the right equipment, I collected my samples and sent them to Sweden for analysis. The study confirmed traditional foods had acrylamide, a cancer-causing chemical although at a lower concentration than French fries or cookies.

1. People publish in a predatory journal out of ignorance

I decided to publish my study on acrylamide in food. But I didn’t know anything about publishing manuscripts. Researchers at my university in Zimbabwe often published at Academic Journals. So, I sent my manuscript to African Journal of Food Science, which is published by Academic Journals.

2. A predatory journal only want your money

A week after submission, I received an email saying my paper had been submitted. I had to pay about $350 for my paper to be published. One of my co-authors paid, “Edmond, I have published many articles but I have never paid for publication. Be careful.” I didn’t listen, I only wanted to list a publication on my resume.

3. They lack a robust peer review system

After reading Beall’s List of Predatory Journals, I realized the African Journal of Food Science was a predatory journal. They had a shady peer review system and only cared about their profits. I think my research was good. But with a good peer review system, my paper could have been better. Editorial support could have removed the grammatical and spelling mistakes I made.

4. They can ruin your career

Publishing in a predatory journal put a stain on my resume. I think when recruiters see that I published in a predatory journal they assume I’m a shady scientist. As a result, I often think of removing the paper on my CV when I submit job applications.

5. They survive from the greed and pride of researchers

A recent study found in the past decade the South African government lost between $7 million and $23 million subsidizing articles published in predatory journals. Out of greed and probably ignorance, most researchers resorted to paying $350 to predatory journals. After all, the South African government would give them $7,700 in return. Researchers at my school knew Academic Journals was a predatory publisher but they wanted the pride that comes with listing a dozen papers on your CV.

Summary

Three years after publishing in a predatory journal, I published my first article in a reputable journal. I dreaded the peer review but it made my manuscript better.

To date, I have published several papers in peer-reviewed journals such as Journal of Chromatography A, Environmental Pollution and Water Research. I even teach a graduate course on scientific writing here in China.

My email is flooded daily with emails from predatory journals. They want to me to submit a manuscript or become an editor. I mark all the emails as spam. And continue with my work, reviewing manuscripts or editing my own manuscripts.