Predatory Journals and Academic Integrity: Awareness, Perceptions, and Group Differences Among English Language Faculty
Keywords:
Academic Integrity, Higher Education, Predatory Journals, Research Ethics, Scholarly PublishingAbstract
Predatory journals have a growing concern for academic integrity. This study explored the level of awareness and perceptions of English Language faculty at public universities in Afghanistan concerning predatory journals and their impact on academic integrity. To gather data, an online questionnaire was shared with English faculty members, resulting in 101 completed responses out of 134 invitations. The responses revealed that while many faculty members are somewhat familiar with the concept of predatory journals, there remains uncertainty regarding their distinct characteristics. Significant differences in awareness were associated with institution size and years of experience, but not with gender or academic rank. Respondents expressed notable apprehension about the consequences of publishing in these journals, particularly regarding the risk to academic integrity, the potential to mislead students, and the vulnerability of early-career researchers, especially those from larger institutions and those with over 10 years of academic experience. The findings stress the importance of specialized training, well-defined institutional policies, and mentoring programs as effective ways to promote ethical publishing practices. Building on these findings, future research could investigate how knowledge of and vulnerability to predatory journals differ among disciplines and across regions.
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