The Interacademy Partnership (IAP) report (https://www.interacademies.org/science-advice/reports) published in March 2022 addresses the issue of predatory journals and sheds new light on this ever-present phenomenon in the global scientific community. The report notably shows that the quality of a publication evolves over the course of its existence. Early issues may not meet good practice for example because of the lack of experienced editors or seasoned reviewers. The evaluation of a title by an indexing service therefore only seems relevant if it is carried out repeatedly and regularly over time, carefully avoiding stigmatizing young journals in their first years of publication. According to IAP, there is a continuum between the predatory journal and the quality journal. IAP thus identifies seven stages of evolution and proposes a set of related indicators to categorize journals. This finding questions the relevance of journal lists based on a binary approach to quality and instead advocates for a more nuanced assessment. The presentation will be a roundtable discussion of the report’s recommendations and their impact if any on current and future DOAJ, Latindex and ROAD selection practices.
The Interacademy Partnership (IAP) report (https://www.interacademies.org/science-advice/reports) published in March 2022 addresses the issue of predatory journals and sheds new light on this ever-present phenomenon in the global scientific community. The report notably shows that the quality of a publication evolves over the course of its existence. Early issues may not meet good practice for example because of the lack of experienced editors or seasoned reviewers. The evaluation of a title by an indexing service therefore only seems relevant if it is carried out repeatedly and regularly over time, carefully avoiding stigmatizing young journals in their first years of publication. According to IAP, there is a continuum between the predatory journal and the quality journal. IAP thus identifies seven stages of evolution and proposes a set of related indicators to categorize journals. This finding questions the relevance of journal lists based on a binary approach to quality and instead advocates for a more nuanced assessment. The presentation will be a roundtable discussion of the report’s recommendations and their impact if any on current and future DOAJ, Latindex and ROAD selection practices.
Gaelle Bequet holds a PhD in LIS from Sorbonne University. She published a book about the development of digital libraries in Austria, France and the UK in 2014. She was appointed Director of the ISSN International Centre in 2014. She is also the Chair of ISO TC 46 Information and Documentation. She likes PIDs and Cuban salsa.
