Predatory Journals: Do They Publish Undergraduate and AI-Generated Papers?

Predatory journals are criticized widely for weak peer-review and profit-driven editorial practices, but little empirical evidence assesses their capacity to publish low-quality or AI-generated research. This study examines the level to which these journals publish undergraduate essays and AI-generated manuscripts. We submitted papers to 144 predatory journals identified through spam solicitations, Beall’s list ( https://beallslist.net ), and the Predatory Journals database ( www.predatoryjournals.org/news/predatory-journals-list-2025 ). This included 19 undergraduate political science and human rights essays and 10 AI-generated engineering case reports to test the degree to which these essays are published. We find that most undergraduate essays and AI-generated manuscripts are accepted, which confirms the low quality of these outlets and the risk emanating from them.