Trust, but Verify: An Exploratory Audit of Predatory Journal and Publisher Solicitations.

Key Points

• This research investigates the unethical practices of predatory journals and their implications for scholarly publishing.
• Conducted exploratory audits of various predatory journal solicitations.
• Analyzed reported practices such as fake impact factors and misleading indexing.
• Assessed the overall impact of these practices on scholarly communication.
• Identified widespread unethical practices among predatory journals.
• Found numerous instances of fake impact factors and false indexing.
• Highlighted the need for increased awareness and vigilance among researchers.