The Reply

Abstract

Wiwanitkit and Qu raise important issues regarding open access publication, focusing on the unfortunate subset of “predatory” publications. As we described in our original commentary,1Shea N. Prasad V. Open issues with open access publication.Am J Med. 2013; 126: 563-564Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (8) Google Scholar predatory open access journals often have a dubious readership and low scientific impact. These journals solicit articles and all but promise acceptance in exchange for publication fees. Wiwanitkit and Qu highlight other characteristics: The fees are often high, and there is no option not to publish with the open access model. Therefore, the fee cannot be avoided. We are grateful that Wiwanitkit and Qu call for standards to be improved among open access journals. Since the publication of our article, Bohannon2Bohannon J. Who's afraid of peer review?.Science. 2013; 342: 60-65Crossref PubMed Scopus (729) Google Scholar has investigated open access journals broadly. Although top-tier open access journals indeed seem to function by the strictest ethical and scientific standards, others do not.2Bohannon J. Who's afraid of peer review?.Science. 2013; 342: 60-65Crossref PubMed Scopus (729) Google Scholar In an investigation published in the journal Science, a fabricated and obviously flawed study was accepted more than 50% of the time across 304 submission attempts2Bohannon J. Who's afraid of peer review?.Science. 2013; 342: 60-65Crossref PubMed Scopus (729) Google Scholar to open access journals. The article, a study of a novel anti-cancer agent, had major flaws that were missed on more than half of the occasions. Although these results are deeply concerning, the study did not have a control of traditional model journals for a proper comparison. In short, we continue to believe there are still open issues with open access publications, and all players—researchers, reviewers, editors, and publishers—have a professional commitment to ensure that sound scientific work is appropriately published. A journal's first commitment must be to the dissemination of sound science and not the accumulation of publication fees. Open Access Publication, Journal Policy, and Scientific CommunityThe American Journal of MedicineVol. 127Issue 5PreviewThe topic of open issues and open access publication is very interesting.1,2 In the present day, several new open access journals are available, and it becomes the topic for discussion among medical editors and publishers. The quality and impact of the open access journal are usually questioned. Björk and Solomon noted that both open access and subscription journals had the same scientific impact and quality.3 Nevertheless, the problem of “predator online publisher” is the new emerging ethical problem relating to the emergence of open access publication. Full-Text PDF