Beware the Predatory Journal

[Oxytropidoceras]

Although the below papers and articles do not mention fossils specifically, I know that it is problem in Earth sciences, including paleontology, as two to four times a month I get spam soliciting articles for publication in predatory Earth "science" journals with names that either mimic real journals or make them sound like legitimate publications. Some go even to point of talking to me as if I was a world renowned expert in some field, which instantly exposed them as scams.

 

Thirteen ways to spot a ‘predatory journal’ (and why we 

shouldn’t call them that) Larissa Shamseer and David 

Moher have taken a close look at what it is that sets 

dodgy journals apart from the rest, March 27, 2017

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/thirteen-ways-to-spot-a-predatory-journal-and-why-we-shouldnt-call-them-that

 

Rise in 'predatory publishers' has sparked a warning for 

scientists and researchers By Chris McLoughlin, ABC News,

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-13/rise-in-predatory-publishers-sparks-warning-for-researchers/9640950

 

Allen, M., 2018. Beware the Predatory Journal: It’s Not Just Fieldwork 

That is Dangerous. SAA Archaeological Record. 18(3) pp. 6-9.

http://www.saa.org/Portals/0/SAA/Publications/thesaaarchrec/SAA_Record_May_2018 FINAL WEB 5.10.18.pdf

http://onlinedigeditions.com/publication/?i=496953&view=contentsBrowser#{"issue_id":496953,"view":"contentsBrowser"}

 

Johal, J., Ward, R., Gielecki, J., Walocha, J., Natsis, K., Tubbs, R.S. and 

Loukas, M., 2017. Beware of the predatory science journal: a potential 

threat to the integrity of medical research. Clinical Anatomy. 30(6)

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316992936_Beware_of_the_Predatory_Science_Journal_A_Potential_Threat_to_the_Integrity_of_Medical_Research

 

Beware! Academics are getting reeled in by scam journals

The number of predatory publishers is skyrocketing – and they’re 

eager to pounce on unsuspecting scholars.

By Alex Gillis, University Affairs, January 17, 2017

https://www.universityaffairs.ca/features/feature-article/beware-academics-getting-reeled-scam-journals/

 

Yours

 

Paul H.

[doushantuo]

As some of you may know, the vagaries, wiles,outright obfuscation, litigation & other tactics/goings-on in the world of (pseudo) academic publishing I find fascinating.

The fight over scientific content* distribution is harsh,no prisoners taken. 

*or what passes for it

 

PS: I am the sole editor and publisher of the Journal of Epistemiological Befuddlement*, just so everybody knows.

*Altmetric and SCI: -4,5(yes,that's a minus sign)

Which means it has no academic standing whatsoever, and I like it that way, pardner.

 

 

 

[Kane]

I get these unsolicited invitations a couple times a month. One of the surefire clues not listed in the first article is how these "International Journal of X, Y, Z and the Kitchen Sink" emails lead with their journal's impact factor scores. Sadly, their target audience are those on - or about to - step on the tenure track feeling a pressure to publish, or postgrads. Some of these "journals" contain filler stuff like poetry(!). Others have claimed false affiliation with well known academic publishers, or lifted entire articles published elsewhere to pass them off as new articles. 

 

There used to be a guy who maintained an updated listing of these "journals," but he had to take it down due to legal challenges launched by some of these outfits. (Actually, Doushantuo reveals the name in the link above: Jeffrey Beall). The Beall list still kind of exists, although updated by others after the original one was shut down in January 2017: https://beallslist.weebly.com/

 

I've also known colleagues who have had their names added to the editorial board of some of these without consent.