Neha Kashyap

Predatory conferences are the brainchild of masterminds who have set their foot in the world of conferences with the sole intention of making money. The organizers seldom focus on making an impact and offering a platform that helps people grow but choose to limit their focus on the monetary benefits. 

Their insane margins have led to an overflow of commercial enterprises that are looting innocents by promising great opportunities that have little to no credibility. Such institutions lack alliance from reputed establishments and seek exorbitant attendance fees under false pretenses. They present their malevolence enveloped in a commitment of great opportunities, which disillusions virtuous healthcare enthusiasts.

So, the question that is of great importance is how you can avoid these predatory conferences. If you’re wondering whether the recently-received invitation is predatory, then the following points can help you gain further clarity:

One-time event:

Conferences that are legit, such as IFAH, happen annually or bi-annually. The frequency of a conference is a great determinant that hints towards its authenticity. On the other hand, conferences that are a one-time event are more likely to be a scam as its organizers might be aiming for making great money in a single go. If you’re truly interested in visiting a conference, try seeking information from the previous year’s edition.

Peer-reviewed papers with high acceptance rate:

Another key determinant that can help you distinguish a reliable conference from a not-so-reliable one is papers and abstracts. The conferences that accept submissions but don’t seem to invest too much time in the review process and accept almost all the papers that are received should raise an alarm in your mind. More often than not, conferences that claim papers to be peer-reviewed and haven’t published any significant work in its proceedings are predatory.

Multiple fields sandwiched into one:

If you’ve received an invitation from a conference that has merged multiple fields/areas of expertise into one, is more likely to be a scam. A truly authentic conference will be focused in its approach and will not have an overly broad spectrum that it’s aiming to cover. If you come across a healthcare conference that seems to cover healthcare, wellness, technology, and education in a single edition, then you should know that something isn’t right there. A legitimate conference will invest its efforts in diving deeper into the unexplored realms of healthcare instead of just skimming through multiple fields of study.

Surely, the presence of the aforementioned points doesn’t guarantee that a conference is a scam; however, if one or more of these aspects is present then you must proceed with caution to safeguard your interests, intellectual property, and funds. 

If you are unsure, seek a second opinion from your professors, seniors, or colleagues. Also, don’t hesitate to ask questions from the organizers to gain more clarity.