An unfortunate consequence of the Open Access (OA) movement is the increase of spurious/dubious publishers. Taking advantage of scholars' and researchers' need to publish their work, and the fee-for-publication model, these unscrupulous publishers pose as legitimate academic, scientific repositories of scholarly works. Closer inspection finds mere Post Office boxes as physical location, minimal contact information, editors lacking verifiable credentials, thin submission guidelines, lack of peer review, overly broad disciplinary focus, and promises of rapid publication.
Charging for publication of articles is not a new practice, nor is it an indicator that a journal is unscrupulous. Legitimate OA journals often charge publication fees, but scholars should familiarize themselves with criteria that will help them evaluate a journal before submitting a manuscript. Librarians can assist faculty and students in obtaining information about how to identify legitimate and predatory/questionable journals.