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Don't Get Caught!

Being a emerging researcher, I was eager to speak at conferences and get published in academic journals.   Due to lack of experience, I thought an International hybrid conference would be ideal to submit my abstract and if accepted, present to an International audience. I googled online for conferences. On this International conference website,  I saw interesting programme relating to my research area and some speakers who seem to be experts in the field. I submitted my abstract and to my surprise, my abstract was accepted the next day. I thought ‘Wow’. My ego was boosted. I asked my Supervisor how to judge the conference is authentic. She asked me to look at the list of speakers and whether it had University links. Due to my lack of experience of attending such conferences, I thought that there were seemingly expert speakers.  I negotiated the price of conference fees by 30% and paid the fees.


The next month, I received a credit card statement. I forgotten the company’s name and so, did not recognise the entry. I googled the name and to my dismay, I discovered that the organisation that plan this event was the so called ‘predatory conferences’. This means they organise conferences purely out of profit and not for academic purposes. There were people who reported that they attended such conferences and even travelled to the venue to discover that there were very few delegates apart from the organisers.  Therefore, these are not opportunities to learn and network. By sending the abstract with your institution name will even tarnish your institution and your own name. I decided to cut my loss and run. With much pestering, my fees was refunded minus a hefty administration fee for withdrawal. I still think it is a worthy lesson, though an expensive one.


I now even received a Linkedin invitation, supported to be HR Manager of International Conferences company. By now, I can smell a rat.


 Below are a checklist by Lopez and Gaspard (2018) to ensure that the organisers are not predatory.


Conference Evaluation Tool

Read through the items in the checklist below while reviewing the email and conference website in question. Mark “Yes” or “No” as appropriate. At the end of the checklist, count the number of “Yes” and “No” responses.

Is the conference sponsored by a reputable association (SCC, MLA, ANA, AMA, AAMC, AACN, etc.)?

 Is the sponsor involved in any scholarly activity other than facilitating conferences?

 Do you know anyone who has attended or presented at the conference? I

f you speak or present, are the conference fees waived?

Can you easily identify the venue? Is this a long-running, established conference?

Are the registration and other fees clearly outlined?

Are you familiar with previous proceedings for that specific conference?

 Is the conference itinerary clear and easily accessible?

Can you identify any of the speakers from previous conferences as experts in your field

Is the conference location in context with the content and/or sponsor?

Is the subject matter related to your field of expertise?

Is the subject matter of the conference focused and specific to a field, type of study, etc.?

Total: If there are more entries in the “No” column, it is likely that the conference in question is predatory.


I would add a further question

Is your abstract accepted too quickly (within a day or two)?

Are there universities involved (as proposed by my supervisor)?


Since then, I have researched on this topic and found useful advice online. I think that as part of a research doctorate programme, students need to learn about predatory conferences and ‘false’ journals. These unethical practices are on the increase.


Resources

Nature 632, 219-220 (2024)

Nature 631, 921-923 (2024)

Nature 632, 7 (2024)


I will research on how not to get caught on false journals and will write a blog here. Watch this space.


30th Aug 2024

 

 
 
 

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