I recall a colleague from another university who was under immense pressure due to the "publish or perish" rule. She had always been passionate about her work, but as time went on, I noticed she started submitting papers to journals that seemed more focused on collecting hefty publication fees than on academic rigor. At first, I did not realize what was happening since I thought publication really charged fees in dollars, but she later shared her frustration with me about her struggles to meet the demands for publications in her department.
When I looked more closely, I realized these journals did not have strong reputations, and their peer review process seemed suspiciously quick and uncritical. I suggested to her to reconsider there anomalous journals and I can help her publish in our organization, but she seemed desperate, believing she had no other option as time was not her ally. I gently suggested she speak with her department head or seek guidance from senior researchers. However, since the pressure to publish was so intense and I was sympathetic for her, and she belongs to another HEI, I did not bother to formally report the incident.
In the end, her work was not recognized as credible and she was reclassified to a lower rank. It had lasting impact on her professional reputation and left his HEI eventually. It was disheartening to see how the "publish or perish" mentality pushed her into such an unfortunate situation, and it made me more committed to advocating for ethical publishing practices in my own field.