Skip to Main Content
| Feature | Reputable Professional Nursing Journal | Predatory Nursing Journal |
| Aim and scope of the journal | Limited; aims and scope focused on a specific aspect of nursing (i.e., clinical practice or research or nursing education); journal title reflective of aims and scope | Broad; aim and scope of the journal often extend beyond one aspect of nursing (i.e., midwifery and clinical practice); Journal title may not reflect aims and scope of journal |
| Peer review process | Described as a peer-reviewed journal (see "About This Journal" or "Aims and Scope"); peer review process further described (i.e., double blind) in "Author Guidelines" or "Information for Authors"; expected length of time for peer review is several weeks or longer but may not be stated; expected length of time to publication, if manuscript is accepted, may or may not be described | May or may not be described but if stated, rapid peer review process is promised; predatory publishers also promise short time to publication |
| Quality or character of the journal's website | Professional tone; no spelling or grammatical errors; manuscript submission only via a submission service | May be more professional or may be in an informal or "friendly" tone; statements include spelling or grammatical errors; word choice may seem awkward or strange; may state manuscripts can be e-mailed to editor |
| Editor/editorial staff | A nurse (or maybe another health care professional if journal readership is interdisciplinary) | Widely variable and may not include a nurse |
From: Ashton, K. S. (2019). Teaching nursing students and nurses about predatory publishing. Journal of Nursing Education, 58(11), 627–631. https://doi-org.ezproxy.goshen.edu/10.3928/01484834-20191021-03
Sometimes faulty research comes from good publications but then is caught and struck down. The following steps can help.
1. Review the following websites for retractions
2. Pull up journal article in CINAHL or PubMed databases to see notices
Databases may note within themselves a retraction notice, or a "expression of concern" from other researchers. However, sometimes they won't and may need to be checked on the publisher's website.