Cape Town - University scholars who publish their research in "dodgy" online scientific journals may be compromising their integrity in the new race to publish swiftly and prolifically, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) acknowledged this week.
The department was responding to queries after education experts raised serious concerns over the steady increase of South African research papers published in foreign "predatory journals", that often dispense with the time-honoured peer review process, or simply provide fake peer reviews.
Predatory journals have been described as publications that prey on young and unsuspecting scholars to submit their manuscripts, solely to make money from the scholars - often imitating the names of legitimate academic journals.
While these journals claim to be based in the United States, UK, Canada or Australia, most appear to operate from Pakistan, India or Nigeria.
Writing in the current issue of the SA Journal of Science, Stellenbosch University education expert Prof Johann Mouton said a recent study showed that there had been a sudden spike in the number of articles from South African researchers in journals that were considered to be predatory.
'A matter of urgency'