Greek Academia Under Siege by Rise of Predatory Journals

Greek universities are increasingly grappling with the challenge of academic misconduct fuelled by the proliferation of “predatory journals.”

These publications accept and publish research papers without proper peer review, often for a fee, as institutions and researchers strive to enhance their academic reputation.

Globally, the number of these predatory journals has surged past 15,000, infiltrating the scholarly publishing landscape. An alarming study conducted in 2013 by US library scientist Jeffrey Beall revealed the extent of the issue: when a fake scientific paper was submitted to 304 open-access journals, a staggering 82% of those listed as “potentially predatory” accepted it. Even more concerning, 45% of journals classified as trustworthy by the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) also accepted the fraudulent submission.

In Greece, the problem is intensifying. A significant rise in the publication of research in predatory journals has been documented over the past few years. In 2013, only 2% of publications from two prominent Greek universities were found in these questionable journals. By 2021, that figure had dramatically increased to 18% at a major university and 39% at a regional institution. This trend raises serious concerns about the integrity of academic research in the country.

(Source: Ekathimerini)