Predatory Conferences: A Lesser-known (But No Less Dangerous) Predatory Publishing Scam

Predatory journals are becoming more widely known and prevalent in conversations about academic research. As academia’s understanding of predatory publishing practices expands, however, many malicious con-artists have turned their attention toward a lesser known scam: predatory medical conferences.

Predatory vs. Legitimate Medical Conferences

Medical conferences are often crucial for researchers’ careers, from fresh postgraduates to recognizable senior authors. Early-career researchers can gain a much-needed initial footing in their discipline by presenting abstracts or posters at medical conferences and networking with other professionals, both of which are often critical in securing funding. As a researcher progresses into their mid-career phase, they may be invited to give full presentations or lectures about their research, which helps to establish their reputation in their niche. Senior-career researchers often give keynote speeches or large-scale presentations on their research as a critical and highly anticipated aspect of the conference, further solidifying their reputation and recognizability.

There are several key aspects of a legitimate and reputable medical conference:

• All research, from poster to keynote presentation, is peer reviewed
• They are (typically) connected to an established society or association
• Details of the conference, including prices, are clearly and openly advertised
• Researchers in the related discipline have previously attended or at least recognize the conference
• Previous conference proceedings are easily available, reasonably thorough, and scientifically sound

Unfortunately, predatory conferences prey on every aspect of these benefits.

What’s the Danger of Predatory Conferences?

The amount of illegitimate science that’s presented at predatory conferences can be truly frightening.
Predatory conferences, also called ‘vanity conferences’, are nothing new, and curious researchers have long since wondered how far they can push the envelope. In 2005, three graduate students submitted an entirely nonsensical paper to a predatory conference—and were accepted. Since then, many researchers have taken up the challenge of testing the validity of conferences through increasingly nonsensical submissions. Though the resulting ‘publications’ can be humorous, their implications are anything but.
Besides the validity of the science, however, there are a few other ways that participating in a predatory conference can be harmful:

• Waste of a researcher’s/institution’s funding; may financially prevent researchers from attending legitimate conferences
• Predatory entities may gain copyright for scientists’ research (depending on the copyright agreement)
• Participation may damage a researcher’s reputation
• Loss of internal motivation for professional development

Common Experiences with Predatory Conferences

Many researchers have attended predatory medical conferences—though not always with the prior knowledge of its true nature. There are some key points of similarity between reports from researchers who have shared their experiences, such as those from Zsuzsa Farkas, a Hungarian-born neuroscience student from BPP University; Colleen Davis, a community health and primary healthcare nurse from South Africa; and [the collective experiences of seven doctors,] which were analyzed and published by Dr. Hend Alnajjar.(https://www.scholarsliterature.com/journals/la-prensa-medica/fulltext/faculty-experiences-with-predatory-conferences-a-qualitative-study)

Here are some takeaways from their perspectives on the dangers of medical conferences:

• Registration fees are prevalent, and organizers often levy ‘surprise’ last-minute fees
• Speakers and presenters are typically required to pay for their own travel and accommodations
• Communications are filled with typos and unclear language
• Events are often held at reputable universities or familiar conference centers, usually as a ploy to suggest legitimacy
• Organization is chaotic, and scheduled events are canceled (which is often never formally addressed)
• Multidisciplinary topics are often taken to the extreme, with widely varying and entirely unrelated research

Takeaways and Warning Signs

It’s well and good to understand the danger of a predatory conference, but being able to recognize a conference as predatory is equally important. Many key anti-predatory publishing organizations have developed comprehensive checklists for evaluating conferences, such as Think. Check. Attend. a sister website to the popular Think. Check. Submit. resource. Here are some common traits to watch for:

• The conference emails you directly with an invitation, often with spelling errors or incorrect information about you (such as the wrong specialty or title)
• The website is unprofessional and difficult to navigate
• Information about registration and travel costs is unclear
• You haven’t heard of the conference or its organizers before
• The speakers advertised by the conference have not announced their involvement
• The name is very similar to a well-known conference (such as ‘American Association for Oncology Research Annual Meeting’ instead of the reputable ‘American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting’)

What to do if You Think You’ve Registered for a Predatory Conference

If you’re reading this post because you think a conference you’ve already signed up for or submitted to may be predatory, you’re not alone. Many conference organizers can be insidiously clever with how they present, organize, and recruit for the event. There are a few steps you can take, depending on the stage you’ve found yourself in:

• If you’ve submitted your poster/research/abstract but haven’t received a reply, consider emailing the conference organizers to formally withdraw your abstract. Many predatory publishing agencies are notoriously nonresponsive to email, so be prepared to follow-up repeatedly. Personally, I see no harm in annoying or bothering a scammer—if anything, it may lead to better results.
• If your poster/research/abstract has been accepted, you can still try to email the conference organizers to retract it. You may have some more difficulty at this stage, especially if you’ve already signed an agreement.
• If you’ve already signed copyright agreements, carefully review your contract to understand the copyright agreement you’ve entered. Foster et al provide a thorough explanation of standard copyright agreements for conferences.

No Matter What Stage you Find Yourself in:

• Beware the sunk cost fallacy. Many conference organizers may have a relatively low upfront registration fee, then suddenly ask for an unmentioned second fee, third fee, and so on. Seriously consider cutting your losses and losing out on the registration fee before you decide to pay for the travel, accommodations, food, and other associated costs that come with any conference trip.
• Check with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). This organization is fantastic for all things related to predatory or questionable publishing practices.

As always, be sure to always evaluate your opportunities and options critically, especially those that are sent to you by email from someone you and your colleagues don’t know. Predatory practices can make medical academia an even more intimidating environment to navigate, but as long as you’re aware of the predatory practices, you can keep your research—and your wallet—safe.