Predatory Journals in Cardiothoracic Surgery: Unveiling the Hidden Threat

<p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" class="first" dir="auto" id="d155433664e120"> <b>Introduction</b> <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d155433664e125">The rise of predatory journals, driven by profit and lacking rigorous peer review, threatens research integrity. While their impact has been established in limited medical fields, the prevalence of such journals in cardiothoracic surgery remains unclear. This study aims to examine the prevalence and impact of predatory journals in cardiothoracic surgery. <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d155433664e127"> <b>Methods</b> <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d155433664e132">The study identified predatory journals in cardiothoracic surgery sciences using the Kscien list, a recognized compilation of potentially predatory publishers and journals. Journals were included if they contained relevant keywords and were listed in the database. Data collection involved analyzing journal titles, publication frequency, geographic distribution of authors, indexing status, and open access availability. Statistical analysis evaluated the distribution of journals, authors, and editorial board members and assessed geographical patterns and publishing activity within the cardiothoracic field. <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d155433664e134"> <b>Results</b> <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d155433664e139">Eight predatory thoracic journals were identified, publishing 490 papers (mean 54.4 per journal). Corresponding authors came from 72 countries, with the USA (11.22%), Japan (9.18%), and India (7.55%) as the leading contributors. Co-authors totaled 2,111, with Japan (11.5%) and Senegal (10.09%) leading. Editorial boards had 102 members from 20 countries, with the USA representing 31.37%. All journals imposed article processing charges and were open-access, publishing 3 to 53 issues (mean 20.9). <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d155433664e141"> <b>Conclusion</b> <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d155433664e146">The high number of predatory publications in cardiothoracic field requires urgent action. Researchers in this field must learn to identify and avoid them, with collaborative efforts from institutions and publishers to protect research integrity and clinical practice.