The process in which a scholarly work, such as a research article, is evaluated by experts in the same field before it is accepted for publication. This process ensures the quality, validity, and relevance of the research being published.

Publishing comes with costs. For subscription-based journals, these costs are covered by subscription fees and pay-per-download charges. Since Gold OA journals are free for readers, the expenses are covered by charging authors an Article Processing Charge (APC). The timing for APC payments varies depending on the publisher or journal, but it’s usually required after the article is accepted and before publication. 

▲What the APC covers:
1. Permanent, immediate global access to the full article.
2. Editorial services, including peer review and administrative costs.
3. Infrastructure and innovation: development, maintenance, and operation of electronic journal systems and websites.
4. Article production: typesetting, tracking revisions, indexing services, and DOI registration.
5. Marketing of the journal and its content.
6. Customer service, addressing inquiries from authors and readers.

▲Who pays the APC?   
The author is responsible for paying the APC. However, it’s often covered by the author’s institution or research funding. Many institutions offer support in different ways, such as joining a publisher’s membership program to provide APC discounts, or setting up an OA fund dedicated to supporting their staff’s submissions. 

Predatory journals are deceptive and unethical academic publications that exploit the open-access model by charging high fees to authors without providing legitimate editorial and peer review services. These journals often falsely claim to have reputable editorial boards, fast publication times, and rigorous peer review processes, but they prioritize profit over academic integrity. Predatory journals do not adhere to proper scholarly publishing standards, which can lead to harm to a researcher’s reputation, financial loss, and compromised academic credibility.

The DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) offers a curated list of OA journals. Many bibliographic databases also provide links to full OA articles, allowing researchers to easily access the complete text. On a personal computer, you can install browser extensions like Unpaywall and Open Access Button to help search for OA articles and institutional repositories offering legal full-text access.

Currently, TMU offers submission plans with three publishers, providing various submission discounts:

1. BioMed Central (BMC): All current TMU and  affiliated hospitals' faculty, staff and students submitting to journals on the BMC platform can enjoy a 15% discount on article processing charges (APC) upon acceptance.

2. ACS: Current TMU faculty, staff and students submitting to ACS journals can benefit from a limited number of annual submissions where article processing charges are waived. 

3. Elsevier - ScienceDirect: Corresponding authors* who are current TMU and affiliated hospitals' staff submitting to Core Hybrid journals are eligible for a 10% discount on article processing charges.

*The corresponding author is defined as the individual who handles communication with the publisher through the submission platform, and there is only one per submission.

TMU Library offers a preliminary check service for predatory or controversial journals. However, since predatory journals use a variety of deceptive tactics and disguises, the library cannot definitively determine whether a journal is or isn’t predatory. Instead, we provide commonly used evaluation criteria, and you are welcome to discuss any concerns with the library. Ultimately, the decision of whether to submit to a particular journal rests with you.

>> Predatory Journal & Preliminary Check Service