If you've ever been approached to submit a research article by a journal you're not sure is legitimate THIS GUIDE is for you!
 

Ever heard of "Predatory Publishers" or "Predatory Open Access Publishing?"  

Maybe those terms are familiar, maybe not, but either way researchers in the transportation sector are being bombarded with e-mail invitations to submit articles or serve on the editorial review boards of journals that sound legitimate but may in fact be "predators."  

Personally, I suspect this issue is hardly focused on "researchers" but may be experienced by VDOT personnel any all districts/divisions. Heck, I got an e-mail this week inviting me "Dr. K Winter" to join the editorial review board of an "open" transportation journal — and I'm just a humble librarian!  If you want a laugh take a peek at what they sent me, or maybe just check your own e-mail in box because it's pretty clear this is robo-spam.
 

To help busy professionals understand what all this is about the VDOT Research Library has created this Guide to Understanding Predatory Publishers. 
 

Typically, such publications are "Open Access" journals, broadly defined as journals that are free of restrictions on access (e.g. subscription fees) and free of many/most restrictions on use (e.g. certain copyright and license restrictions). In other words, anyone with an Internet connection can get to the full text content. These days some reputable publishers (like Elsevier and Taylor and Francis) provide an open access option  —  for a fee.

We'll cover that fee, sometimes referred to as an "Article Processing Fee" in a guide on Open Access that we'll publish next week.

But the real issue is that "Open Access" (a great concept) is suddenly intertwined with questionable publishing practices and some journals that are an outright sham designed to take advantage of professionals who want to establish a legitimate record of publication.
 

As always, let us know how we can help and if you think this post is helpful  share it with a friend and remind them that ANYONE CAN SIGN UP to receive e-mail notifications for Connections, the VDOT Research Library's E-Newsletter.  Just look for this subscription option on the right-hand side: 

After all, our job is to help you do your job.

Ken Winter
Ken.Winter@VDOT.Virginia.gov
434-962-8979