Editorial actions taken to reduce publishing references from predatory sources: A case study

Key points Our policy and implementation successfully identified references from predatory publishers, which authors without hesitation agreed to remove before publication. Higher predatory reference patterns emerged among authors in low‐income countries, those with non‐English primary languages, and sole authorship. After a year of implementing our policy, the editors changed our policy and workflow to better handle references from predatory publishers cited in literature reviews and meta‐analyses. Editorial responsibility is discussed, particularly concerning support for authors from lower‐ and middle‐income countries.