Faculty members Marilyn Oermann, Alison Edie, Kathleen Ashton and staff member Sathya Amarasekara recently published an article entitled "Quality of articles published in predatory nursing journals" in Nursing Outlook. Co-authors include experts from Duke University Department of Psychology, Duke University Medical Center Library & Archives, University of Connecticut School of Nursing and Maine Desk LLC. 

Abstract

Background: Predatory journals exist in nursing and lack the safeguards of traditional publishing practices.

Purpose: To examine the quality of articles published in predatory nursing journals.

Method: Randomly selected articles (n = 358) were reviewed for structural content and eight quality indicators.

Findings: Two-thirds (67.4 percent) of the articles were published between 2014 and 2016, demonstrating the acceleration of publications in predatory nursing journals. The majority (75.9 percent) of the articles were research reports. Most followed the IMRAD presentation of a research report but contained errors, or the study was not pertinent to the nursing discipline.

Conclusions: Nursing research published in predatory journals may appear legitimate by conforming to an expected structure. However, a lack of quality is apparent, representing inadequate peer review and editorial processes. Poor quality research erodes the scholarly nursing literature.