Predatory conferences are disreputable pseudo-events that masquerade as scientific gatherings but are primarily aimed at collecting registration fees. They are characterized by little or no scientific quality control, fictitious program committees, and mass spam mailings to researchers.
English: Predatory conferences, fake conferences
Emergence: With the growth of open access (approx. 2010)
Impact: Scientific reputation, careers, finances
What are predatory conferences?
With the rise of open-access publishing and digital marketing, a dark counterpart to reputable scientific conferences has emerged since around 2010: predatory conferences – also known as fake conferences or pseudo-conferences. They superficially mimic the appearance of genuine scientific meetings, but at their core, they are business models designed to siphon off registration fees.
A key characteristic is the lack of, or purely nominal, scientific quality control: submissions are accepted without genuine peer review, program committees consist of invented names or individuals added without their consent, and the program often comprises a haphazard collection of papers with no thematic coherence.
Typical warning signs
- Aggressive spam emails sent to researchers with no connection to the topic
- Flattering invitations filled with personalized praise
- Suspiciously short review times – only a few days between submission and acceptance
- Low or non-existent rejection rates – almost all submissions are accepted
- High registration fees without corresponding event quality
- Invented or unauthorized program committee members
- Vague or generic topics ("International Conference on Science")
- Changing venues and titles from year to year
- No links to reputable professional societies
- Opaque or missing sponsorship transparency
- Poor website quality, often with linguistic errors and typos
- Promises of unrealistic credits for career advancement or professional associations
Damage to the scientific community
- Reputational damage for researchers who participate unknowingly
- Career setbacks in academic applications if presentations are not recognized
- Financial losses due to registration and travel costs with no return on investment
- Dilution of scientific discourse through unvetted contributions
- Loss of trust in the "scientific conference" format as a whole
- Data misuse: Collected participant data often ends up on spam lists
How reputable organizers distinguish themselves
- Transparent review process with documented criteria and realistic acceptance rates
- Verifiable program committee members with affiliations and profiles
- Visible links to established professional societies
- Recurring event series with a traceable history
- Open communication regarding registration fees, sponsorship, and scholarships
- GDPR-compliant handling of participant data – no selling to third parties
- Clearly documented history of the event – location, date, program committee, speakers
- Visible display of quality seals and association memberships
- Professional conference platform for all conference processes – exactly what fraudulent conferences lack
Help for researchers
If you are unsure whether a conference is reputable, you can check several sources:
- Think. Check. Attend. (thinkcheckattend.org) – an initiative for evaluating events
- Beall's List and its successors – although controversial, they provide initial indicators
- Cabells Predatory Reports – a paid, regularly updated directory
- Your own professional society – regular conferences are usually well-known
- Ask colleagues – the community knows which formats are reputable
- Libraries and research funders – they increasingly provide advice on events
Consequences for the industry
Reputable organizers must actively address the existence of disreputable providers through visible quality, transparent communication, and clear differentiation. Conference management software that documents structures and processes is not just an organizational tool, but also a signal of trust to the outside world.
Reputable conferences with Converia
Converia is the platform that allows reputable scientific conferences to make their quality standards transparent: openly documented review processes, traceable program committee structures, clear sponsorship transparency, and full GDPR compliance.
Making credibility visible
Visible quality standards with Converia – so your conference clearly stands out from disreputable providers.
- Peer Reviewing – Abstracts / Program / Speakers
- Program Committee – Abstracts / Program / Speakers
- GDPR for Events – Compliance & Law
Transparent review processes, documented committees, clear sponsorship structures – making quality visible.