Abstract

The emergence of Open Access (OA) and other changes to the academic publishing ecosystem have made the prevalence of predatory journals a significant concern. Academic librarians play a crucial role in the academic environment that protects researchers and takes action against predatory journals. Nonetheless, there isn’t many research that looks into how academic librarians view and handle predatory journals. This study aims to give an exploratory analysis of the overall perceptions of predatory journals among university librarians in South Korea. A survey was administered to academic librarians between April 10 and May 1, 2024, and 78 respondents’ answers were examined. The findings demonstrate that opinions among South Korean academic librarians on predatory journals are not all uniform. Based on their readiness and willingness to supply services, the respondents could be roughly categorized into four groups, according to cluster analysis. The study affirms that training librarians and improving cooperation between academic libraries and researchers are critical prerequisites for the advancement of services aimed at predatory publications. We anticipate that this study, which is the first of its type to explore how academic librarians in South Korea see predatory journals, will be a valuable starting point for university libraries as they plan and offer services related to predatory journals in the future.