RESOURCE: Format Aside: Applying Beall’s Criteria to Assess the Predatory Nature of both OA and Non-OA Library and Information Science Journals

The Idealis recently featured a College and Research Libraries article by Texas A&M librarians Joseph D. Olivarez, Stephen Bales, Laura Sare, Wyoma vanDuinkerken, that examines Jeffrey Beall’s criteria in determining if a publication is predatory.  From the abstract:

Jeffrey Beall’s blog listing of potential predatory journals and publishers, as well as his Criteria for Determining Predatory Open-Access (OA) Publishers are often looked at as tools to help researchers avoid publishing in predatory journals. While these Criteria has brought a greater awareness of OA predatory journals, these tools alone should not be used as the only source in determining the quality of a scholarly journal. Employing a three-person independent judgment making panel, this study demonstrates the subjective nature of Beall’s Criteria by applying his Criteria to both OA and non-OA Library and Information Science journals (LIS), to demonstrate that traditional peer-reviewed journals could be considered predatory.

Olivarez, Bales, Sare, and vanDuinkerken conclude that many of the journals that could be identified as predatory are considered top-tier publications.