Open Access

"Predatory journals and publishers are entities that prioritize self-interest at the expense of scholarship and are characterized by false or misleading information, deviation from best editorial and publication practices, a lack of transparency, and/or the use of aggressive and indiscriminate solicitation practices." (Predatory journals: no definition, no defence. Nature, 11 December 2019)

Some open access journals can and may be predatory journals. There have always been vanity presses and publishers who are more interested in making a profit than supporting and promoting excellent research and scholarship

There are several resources that you can consult to determine if an OA publisher is credible or predatory: 

• Think, Check, Submit – provides a checklist to help you determine where to publish 
• Stop Predatory Journals – a crowd sourced list of predatory journals, updated regularly. 
• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) – a forum for editors and publishers of peer reviewed journals to discuss all aspects of publication ethics. 
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) – they can’t guarantee that no publisher or journal on their lists is predatory, they attempt to include only high-quality journals and publishers. 
• Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA) – OASPA is a non-profit trade association representing the interests of open access journal publishers globally in all scientific, technical and scholarly disciplines. Members are strictly reviewed before joining and are considered non-predatory.