Awareness of predatory journals is growing — but what about books?
In a thoughtful guest post for The Scholarly Kitchen, Jordy Findanis and Niels Stern explore the often-overlooked risks posed by untrustworthy OA book publishers.
They highlight the role of DOAB (Directory of Open Access Books) in promoting trust and transparency in academic publishing. Since its inception, DOAB has enforced key criteria for inclusion:
- Books must carry an open license
- Undergo independent, external peer review
- Fit the definition of a long-form academic work (e.g., monograph, edited collection, or book chapter)
Peer review remains a central pillar, with DOAB outlining clear standards for publisher quality control.
The article also draws attention to the Think. Check. Submit. checklist for books and chapters — an essential tool (available in 25 languages!) that helps authors assess the credibility of a publisher before submitting their work.
Read the full post to understand how transparency builds trust in OA book publishing — and why it matters: https://bit.ly/45cUsdU