Stop paying predatory publishers of academic journals—A policy proposal to restore scientific integrity and transparency
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Scientific publishing is undergoing a systemic breakdown. Thousands of journals now collect article processing charges (APCs)-increasingly paid from public research funds-while providing minimal editorial oversight. This erodes standards, distorts incentives and threatens public trust in science. APC payments to six major publishers exceeded 8 billion dollars between 2019 and 2023, with almost no transparency over how these fees are set or spent. This cannot continue. We propose that public and institutional funds support journals-whether through APCs, subscriptions or bundled agreements-only where they are accredited against a transparent, enforceable quality standard. Implemented in stages and led by funding bodies and learned societies, such accreditation would narrow the space in which predatory journals operate without resorting to blacklists.
Source: FEBS Letters
Authors: Paul B. Rainey, Kenneth N. Timmis, Paul A. Williams, Zeynep Ceren Karahan, Purificación López‐García, Max Chavarria, Chris Greening, Karen Steward, Cristina Silva Pereira, Rafael Giraldo, Willy Verstraete, Stipan Jonjić, Juan Luis Ramos, Olga Nunes, Antonio Ventosa, Rachel Armstrong, Angela Sessitsch, Eliora Ron, Hui Wang, Michael E. Hochberg, Brandon Berryhill, Bruce R. Levin
Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Chimie Biologie Innovation, ESPCI Paris, Technische Universität Braunschweig, University of Nottingham, Ankara University, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Ecologie, Société, Evolution, Universidad de Costa Rica, Consejo Nacional de Rectores, Monash University, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Ghent University, University of Rijeka, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Universidade do Porto, Universidad de Sevilla, KU Leuven, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Tel Aviv University, Tsinghua University, Santa Fe Institute, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Université de Montpellier, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Uppsala University, Emory University
Language: English
Subfield: History and Philosophy of Science
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,980
OpenAlex ID: W7204269064