The rise of a mega‐journal in public health publishing

Abstract

Key points In recent years, public health has experienced a rapid increase in articles produced by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The journal now accounts for around 15% of the documents in the Scimago Journal and Country Rank Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health category. The journal's success in attracting authors appears to reside in its ability to rapidly publish manuscripts after brief review. Acceptance rates also appear to be unaffected by the volume of submissions. An academic publishing process focused primarily on speed provides no guarantee of quality, especially if the emphasis is on sheer volume of papers produced. This has the potential to fundamentally weaken the knowledge base of public health which, in turn, will undermine public health practice and policy.