Predatory publishing is a deceptive and exploitative model that “charg[es] publication fees to authors without checking articles for quality and legitimacy, and without providing editorial and publishing services that legitimate academic journals provide” (Predatory Journals, 2025). These journals employ tactics such as sending unsolicited emails, making false claims about indexing, and creating bogus websites to trick unsuspecting authors into parting with their manuscripts. Whether you are an author or a reader of journal articles, this session will better equip you to understand and navigate the predatory publishing landscape.

Erica and Marcus are medical librarians and part of the Library Services team within Acute Care Alberta.  Together with their library colleagues, they provide research support to healthcare staff across the province, including advice on reputable journals to approach for publication. 

During this lunch and learn session, Medical Librarians from Library Services will:

• Provide an overview of the risks associated with publishing in predatory journals or attending a predatory conference
• Share tools and techniques for identifying predatory journals and conferences
• Discuss recent developments in predatory publishing, such as paper mills and artificial intelligence