Being a victim of a predatory journal
Bawaskar Hospital and Clinical Research Center, Mahad Raigad, Maharashtra 402301, India
Publication History:
Published June 7, 2025
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)00821-9 External LinkAlso available on ScienceDirect External Link
Copyright: © 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.
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OkI read with deep respect and reflection Christine Laine and colleagues’ recent publication on predatory journals.1 I have been working in rural Maharashtra, India since 1976, conducting clinical research on various rural health issues. Over the years, I have published 123 papers in peer-reviewed journals, all without the support of any funding agency. Of these, 43 publications—including research papers, case reports, and letters—have appeared in The Lancet.2
I have always believed, as once stated in The Lancet, that publication is an “academic currency”3—without the need for goods and service tax or theft. However, this very craving for publication led me to fall prey to a predatory journal.
After a case report I submitted was rejected by several high-impact journals, I received an invitation from a case report journal. In my submission, I clearly mentioned that I work without any funding and would not be able to pay any fees. I requested that if the journal required payment, they should not proceed. Despite this warning, the journal sent me a proof within a couple of days. I was shocked—how could the peer review and publication process be completed so quickly?
I again appealed, stating my inability to pay. The journal ignored my requests and proceeded to publish the article, then sent me an invoice with an exorbitant fee. When I protested, I received threatening emails stating that they would take serious action and damage my reputation in India. I was devastated. For the first time in my life, I experienced anxiety, insomnia, palpitations, cold extremities, and a profound loss of interest in my surroundings and clinical work. Over the course of 6 months, I lost 8 kg in weight and was placed in psychiatric care.
Eventually, the journal offered a 40% concession. My wife and son—both of whom work in agriculture—promised to pay the full amount to relieve me of this financial burden. Still, I would check my mailbox with dread, haunted by the fear of further threats. When I discussed this concern with my son who is a doctor in the USA, he was outraged and confirmed that I had become the victim of a predatory journal. He wrote to the publisher and blocked their correspondence.
Even in 2025, I received a reminder from the journal, but by now I was mentally free from their threats. This experience has taught me a painful but crucial lesson. Authors should carefully examine a journal's authenticity, impact factor, and indexing status (eg, PubMed) before submission. Predatory journals are constantly hunting for unsuspecting authors. In countries such as India where publications carry considerable weight for promotions and selection for government service, the danger is particularly high.
Since this episode, I have not attempted to publish again. Instead, I find fulfilment in seeing my patients recover and walk again—living testaments to my diagnosis and management; these are my true publications.
Editors, authors, and reviewers should exercise caution when using and modifying their original contributions with the help of artificial intelligence tools, such as ChatGPT. Greater responsibility now lies with editors to ensure that only genuine and original work is selected and published.
Competing Interests
I declare no competing interests.
References
1.
Laine, C ∙ Babski, D ∙ Bachelet, VC
Predatory journals: what can we do to protect their prey?
Lancet. 2025; 405:363-364
2.
Bawaskar, HS ∙ Bawaskar, PH
Four-decade association with The Lancet
Lancet. 2023; 402:1233-1234
3.
Kleinert, S, on behalf of the editors of all Lancet journals
Checking for plagiarism, duplicate publication, and text recycling
Lancet. 2011; 377:281-282
