Predatory Conferences

Predatory conferences are similar to predatory publishers and a growing problem in the sciences. These meetings are set up to appear like legitimate academic conferences. However, they have poor editorial control over accepted presentations and may advertise speakers or events that never occur.

Organizers of predatory conferences charge registration fees in order to make a profit. In many instances, the registrants are later informed that the meeting has been canceled and are not refunded the registration fee. Alternatively, the meeting may occur, but is poorly organized and not the high-quality academic meeting that was promised.

The Think.Check.Attend initiative is a resource that “provides guidelines that help researchers to differentiate between an authentic conference and the one they should avoid.”