Journals that publish work without proper peer review and which charge scholars sometimes huge fees to submit should not be allowed to share space with legitimate journals and publishers, whether open access or not. These journals and publishers cheapen intellectual work by misleading scholars, preying particularly early career researchers trying to gain an edge. The credibility of scholars duped into publishing in these journals can be seriously damaged by doing so. It is important that as a scholarly community we help to protect each other from being taken advantage of in this way.
Redundant, Duplicate and Repetitive publications are the most important concerns in the scientific research/literature writing. The occurrence of redundancy affects the concepts of science/literature and carries with it sanctions of consequences. To define this issue is much challenging because of the many varieties in which one can slice, reformat, or reproduce material from an already published study. This issue also goes beyond the duplication of a single study because it might possible that the same or similar data can be published in the early, middle, and later stages of an on-going study. This may have a damaging impact on the scientific study/literature base. Similar to slicing a cake, there are so many ways of representing a study or a set of data/information. We can slice a cake into different shapes like squares, triangles, rounds, or layers. Which of these might be the best way to slice a cake? Unfortunately, this may be the wrong question. The point is that the cake that is being referred to, the data/ information set or the study/findings, should not be sliced at all. Instead, the study should be presented as a whole to the readership to ensure the integrity of science/technology because of the impact that may have on patients who will be affected by the information contained in the literature/findings. Redundant, duplicate, or repetitive publications occur when there is representation of two or more studies, data sets, or publications in either electronic or print media. The publications can overlap partially or completely, such that a similar portion, major component(s), or complete representation of a previously/simultaneous ly or future published study is duplicated.
SALAMI SLICING: The slicing of research publication that would form one meaningful paper into several different papers is known as salami publication or salami slicing. Unlike duplicate publication, which involves reporting the exact same data in two or more publications, salami slicing involves breaking up or segmenting a large study into two or more publications. These segments are called slices of a study. As a general rule, as long as the slices of a broken-up study share the same hypotheses, population, and methods, this is not acceptable in general practice. The same slice should never be published more than once at all. According to the United States Office of Research Integrity (USORI), salami slicing can result in a distortion of the literature/findings by leading unsuspecting readers to believe that data presented in each salami slice (journal article) is derived from a different subject sample/source. Somehow this practice not only skews the scientific database but it creates repetition to waste reader's time as well as the time of editors and peer reviewers, who must also handle each paper separately.
Selective Reporting and Misrepresentation of DataSaptarshi Ghosh
Research integrity means conducting research according to the highest professional and ethical standards, so that the results are trustworthy.
It concerns the behavior of researchers at all stages of the research life-cycle, including declaring competing interests; data collection and data management; using appropriate methodology; drawing conclusions from results; and writing up research findings.
Impact Factor Journals as per JCR, SNIP, SJR, IPP, CiteScoreSaptarshi Ghosh
Journal-level metrics
Metrics have become a fact of life in many - if not all - fields of research and scholarship. In an age of information abundance (often termed ‘information overload’), having a shorthand for the signals for where in the ocean of published literature to focus our limited attention has become increasingly important.
Research metrics are sometimes controversial, especially when in popular usage they become proxies for multidimensional concepts such as research quality or impact. Each metric may offer a different emphasis based on its underlying data source, method of calculation, or context of use. For this reason, Elsevier promotes the responsible use of research metrics encapsulated in two “golden rules”. Those are: always use both qualitative and quantitative input for decisions (i.e. expert opinion alongside metrics), and always use more than one research metric as the quantitative input. This second rule acknowledges that performance cannot be expressed by any single metric, as well as the fact that all metrics have specific strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, using multiple complementary metrics can help to provide a more complete picture and reflect different aspects of research productivity and impact in the final assessment. ( Elsevier)
Redundant, Duplicate and Repetitive publications are the most important concerns in the scientific research/literature writing. The occurrence of redundancy affects the concepts of science/literature and carries with it sanctions of consequences. To define this issue is much challenging because of the many varieties in which one can slice, reformat, or reproduce material from an already published study. This issue also goes beyond the duplication of a single study because it might possible that the same or similar data can be published in the early, middle, and later stages of an on-going study. This may have a damaging impact on the scientific study/literature base. Similar to slicing a cake, there are so many ways of representing a study or a set of data/information. We can slice a cake into different shapes like squares, triangles, rounds, or layers. Which of these might be the best way to slice a cake? Unfortunately, this may be the wrong question. The point is that the cake that is being referred to, the data/ information set or the study/findings, should not be sliced at all. Instead, the study should be presented as a whole to the readership to ensure the integrity of science/technology because of the impact that may have on patients who will be affected by the information contained in the literature/findings. Redundant, duplicate, or repetitive publications occur when there is representation of two or more studies, data sets, or publications in either electronic or print media. The publications can overlap partially or completely, such that a similar portion, major component(s), or complete representation of a previously/simultaneous ly or future published study is duplicated.
SALAMI SLICING: The slicing of research publication that would form one meaningful paper into several different papers is known as salami publication or salami slicing. Unlike duplicate publication, which involves reporting the exact same data in two or more publications, salami slicing involves breaking up or segmenting a large study into two or more publications. These segments are called slices of a study. As a general rule, as long as the slices of a broken-up study share the same hypotheses, population, and methods, this is not acceptable in general practice. The same slice should never be published more than once at all. According to the United States Office of Research Integrity (USORI), salami slicing can result in a distortion of the literature/findings by leading unsuspecting readers to believe that data presented in each salami slice (journal article) is derived from a different subject sample/source. Somehow this practice not only skews the scientific database but it creates repetition to waste reader's time as well as the time of editors and peer reviewers, who must also handle each paper separately.
Selective Reporting and Misrepresentation of DataSaptarshi Ghosh
Research integrity means conducting research according to the highest professional and ethical standards, so that the results are trustworthy.
It concerns the behavior of researchers at all stages of the research life-cycle, including declaring competing interests; data collection and data management; using appropriate methodology; drawing conclusions from results; and writing up research findings.
Impact Factor Journals as per JCR, SNIP, SJR, IPP, CiteScoreSaptarshi Ghosh
Journal-level metrics
Metrics have become a fact of life in many - if not all - fields of research and scholarship. In an age of information abundance (often termed ‘information overload’), having a shorthand for the signals for where in the ocean of published literature to focus our limited attention has become increasingly important.
Research metrics are sometimes controversial, especially when in popular usage they become proxies for multidimensional concepts such as research quality or impact. Each metric may offer a different emphasis based on its underlying data source, method of calculation, or context of use. For this reason, Elsevier promotes the responsible use of research metrics encapsulated in two “golden rules”. Those are: always use both qualitative and quantitative input for decisions (i.e. expert opinion alongside metrics), and always use more than one research metric as the quantitative input. This second rule acknowledges that performance cannot be expressed by any single metric, as well as the fact that all metrics have specific strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, using multiple complementary metrics can help to provide a more complete picture and reflect different aspects of research productivity and impact in the final assessment. ( Elsevier)
Ethical research and publication practices are essential for honest scholarly and scientific research. Most journals today are keenly aware of this: they publish policies on these issues and expect authors to “be aware of, and comply with, best practice in publication ethics”.This article discusses two widespread and related publishing practices that are considered unethical—duplicate publication and simultaneous submission. It draws on definitive international publication ethics guidelines.
In academia, the pressure to publish is high and the competition intense. This can lead authors to follow unethical publication practices, such as salami slicing, duplicate publication, and simultaneous submission. This slide deck explains these malpractices and shares tips on how authors can avoid them.
Open Access (OA) is a system provide access to knowledge resources with free of cost and other restrictions. This PPT answer to the questions what, why, types, benefits etc. and also describes the creative commons licensing, concept of predatory journals, open access journals, and Sharpa RoMeO.
Intellectual Honesty and Research Integrity.pptxsheelu57
Intellectual honesty is an applied method of problem solving, characterized by an unbiased, honest attitude, which can be demonstrated in a number of different ways including:
Ensuring support for chosen ideologies does not interfere with the pursuit of truth;
Relevant facts and information are not purposefully omitted even when such things may contradict one's hypothesis;
Facts are presented in an unbiased manner, and not twisted to give misleading impressions or to support one view over another;
References, or earlier work, are acknowledged where possible, and plagiarism is avoided. practices.
For individuals, research integrity is an aspect of moral character and experience. It involves above all a commitment to intellectual honesty and personal responsibility for one's actions and to a range of practices that characterize responsible research conduct.
Ethical research and publication practices are essential for honest scholarly and scientific research. Most journals today are keenly aware of this: they publish policies on these issues and expect authors to “be aware of, and comply with, best practice in publication ethics”.This article discusses two widespread and related publishing practices that are considered unethical—duplicate publication and simultaneous submission. It draws on definitive international publication ethics guidelines.
In academia, the pressure to publish is high and the competition intense. This can lead authors to follow unethical publication practices, such as salami slicing, duplicate publication, and simultaneous submission. This slide deck explains these malpractices and shares tips on how authors can avoid them.
Open Access (OA) is a system provide access to knowledge resources with free of cost and other restrictions. This PPT answer to the questions what, why, types, benefits etc. and also describes the creative commons licensing, concept of predatory journals, open access journals, and Sharpa RoMeO.
Intellectual Honesty and Research Integrity.pptxsheelu57
Intellectual honesty is an applied method of problem solving, characterized by an unbiased, honest attitude, which can be demonstrated in a number of different ways including:
Ensuring support for chosen ideologies does not interfere with the pursuit of truth;
Relevant facts and information are not purposefully omitted even when such things may contradict one's hypothesis;
Facts are presented in an unbiased manner, and not twisted to give misleading impressions or to support one view over another;
References, or earlier work, are acknowledged where possible, and plagiarism is avoided. practices.
For individuals, research integrity is an aspect of moral character and experience. It involves above all a commitment to intellectual honesty and personal responsibility for one's actions and to a range of practices that characterize responsible research conduct.
Predatory publishing is a relatively recent phenomenon that seems to be exploiting some key features of the open access publishing model, sustained by collecting APCs that are far less than those found in legitimate open access journals. This CME aims to introduce to the participants on the phenomenon of predatory journals, why they continue to thrive, characteristics that are suggestive of a predatory journal, and how one can take step to minimize the risk of faling into predatory journal publication
What is meant by ‘predatory publisher’? Who is preyed on and by whom? What are the consequences of this publishing phenomenon? The Director of the US ISSN Center will draw on the experience of the ISSN Network and National Library of Medicine (NLM) to explore these issues. Criteria for inclusion in NLM’s indexes and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), as well as criteria for denying or revoking an ISSN, will be outlined. Statistics on the ubiquity and longevity of these publications, their impact on ISSN and NLM, and the role of librarians will be discussed.
Unearthing open access resource evaluationNina Collins
Explores types of unethical publishing tactics among false publishers claiming to be Open Access Scholarly Publishers. Presented at "Discovery to Delivery 5: Better Together", in Indianapolis, on April 25, 2014.
Talk 2 at Research Integrity workshop at Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, April 6th 2018
http://www.mpipz.mpg.de/events/13302/4358571
Writing Tools and Software, Referencing Tools and Reference Management Software, Research Tools and Software, Grammar Checkers and Sentence Correction Tools.
Finding the Right Journal at the Right Time for the Right WorkSaptarshi Ghosh
JournalFinder helps you find journals that could be best suited for publishing your scientific article. Please also consult the journal’s Aims and Scope for further guidance. Ultimately, the Editor will decide on how well your article matches the journal.
The phrase new normal is an oxymoron typically used to indicate a life event that is out of the ordinary and has a long-lasting or permanent impact on someone’s day-to-day routine.
But using the phrase to describe efforts that makes me uncomfortable to fight a global pandemic implies a sense of permanence.
In her foreword to John Putzier, Weirdos in the Workplace: The New Normal—Thriving in the Age of the Individual (2004), Libby Sartain claims that the phrase “the new normal” is a recent coinage
Great wits are sure to madness near allied
And thin partitions do their bounds divide.
(John Dryden, 1681)
There is no great genius without a tincture of madness. (Seneca, 1st Century A.D.)
ALTMETRICS : A HASTY PEEP INTO NEW SCHOLARLY MEASUREMENTSaptarshi Ghosh
The term ‘Altmetrics’ was proposed by Jason Priem, a PhD student at the School of Information and Library Science at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill through a tweet. [https://twitter.com/asnpriem/status/25844968813].
Altmetrics is the combination of two words such as: ‘Alternative’ and ‘Metrics’ in which the ‘alt-‘part refers to alternative types of metrics (that is alternative to traditional metrics such as citation analysis, impact factor, downloads & usage data etc.).
Altmetrics is the creation and study of new metrics based on the Social Web for analyzing, and informing scholarship (http://altmetrics.org/about/). It is the study of new indicators for the analysis of academic activity based on Web 2.0.
Paradoxical betweenness in Academic endeavors and research metricsSaptarshi Ghosh
Publish or perish" is an aphorism describing the pressure to publish academic work in order to succeed in an academic career. ... The pressure to publish has been cited as a cause of poor work being submitted to academic journals.
Management of Change is being relevant with the time and space. This presentation elaborates existence of information professionals beyond their territories as survival of the fittest lies only on more information diffusion and information dissemination for the collective wisdom of the stakeholders in a society
Will the Digital library sustain as a Social Capital for dissemination of Inf...Saptarshi Ghosh
Abstract
This paper deals with the relationship between digital library and social development. The core of digital library which rests with strong social bonding and participatory approach, has been reflected in this write-up. Today, global prosperity and individual productivity depend upon the ability to learn constantly, adapt to change readily, and to evaluate information critically. Right now in this information rich world, we must remain ways to transform information into knowledge. So, how can we ensure that our communities can access the resources and services that we have available? How can we ensure that we are responsive to, and representative of, our communities' actual, as opposed to perceived, needs? We will look at various ways that library services can partner with their communities to bring about better outcomes for all. The digital library can bridge these gaps and it may be turned as a people’s access to the information repository and can be a motivator to sustainable development.
Information System Design in Context of Social InformaticsSaptarshi Ghosh
Informatics is a branch of information engineering. It involves the practice of information processing and the engineering of information systems, and as an academic field it is an applied form of information science.
The field considers the interaction between humans and information alongside the construction of interfaces, organisations, technologies and systems.
“Organization Behaviour is concerned with the study of what people do in an organization and how that behaviour affects the performance of the organization.” (Robbins: 1989)
Library Intelligence The collection, analysis, and synthesis of data. Time devoted to reflection and development of insight Willingness and ability to change. Library Intelligence makes it easier for library staff to focus on improving their digital literacy fluency.
Information Ecology: Legacy Practices with changing dynamicsSaptarshi Ghosh
“The study of the inter-relationships between people, enterprises, technologies and the information environment” -The International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science
Impact of Social Networking /Web 2.0 features in Library Management SoftwareSaptarshi Ghosh
Web 2.0 describes World Wide Web websites that emphasize user-generated content, usability (ease of use, even by non-experts), and interoperability (this means that a website can work well with other products, systems and devices) for end users. The term was popularized by Tim O'Reilly. Social networking sites like facebook, twitter, etc. are result of web 2.0.
Optimistic interpretations: ignoring social relations that influence the social distribution and impact of the new ICT. The new digital technologies function as commodities, and their distribution – at least initially – tends to follow existing divisions of class, race and gender. Rather than assisting with equalization, the new information and communication technologies tend to reinforce social inequality, and lead to the formation of socially and technologically disadvantaged and excluded individuals (Golding, 1996; Zappala, 2000).
COLLECTIVES OR SUBJUGATION: POLITICS OF MISINFORMATION Saptarshi Ghosh
If you assume that there is no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope. If you assume
that there is an instinct for freedom, that there are opportunities to change things, then there
is a possibility that you can contribute to making a better world. That’s your choice (Chomsky 2002, p.6).
2024.06.01 Introducing a competency framework for languag learning materials ...Sandy Millin
http://sandymillin.wordpress.com/iateflwebinar2024
Published classroom materials form the basis of syllabuses, drive teacher professional development, and have a potentially huge influence on learners, teachers and education systems. All teachers also create their own materials, whether a few sentences on a blackboard, a highly-structured fully-realised online course, or anything in between. Despite this, the knowledge and skills needed to create effective language learning materials are rarely part of teacher training, and are mostly learnt by trial and error.
Knowledge and skills frameworks, generally called competency frameworks, for ELT teachers, trainers and managers have existed for a few years now. However, until I created one for my MA dissertation, there wasn’t one drawing together what we need to know and do to be able to effectively produce language learning materials.
This webinar will introduce you to my framework, highlighting the key competencies I identified from my research. It will also show how anybody involved in language teaching (any language, not just English!), teacher training, managing schools or developing language learning materials can benefit from using the framework.
A Strategic Approach: GenAI in EducationPeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
Honest Reviews of Tim Han LMA Course Program.pptxtimhan337
Personal development courses are widely available today, with each one promising life-changing outcomes. Tim Han’s Life Mastery Achievers (LMA) Course has drawn a lot of interest. In addition to offering my frank assessment of Success Insider’s LMA Course, this piece examines the course’s effects via a variety of Tim Han LMA course reviews and Success Insider comments.
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
In this webinar you will learn how your organization can access TechSoup's wide variety of product discount and donation programs. From hardware to software, we'll give you a tour of the tools available to help your nonprofit with productivity, collaboration, financial management, donor tracking, security, and more.
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
3. What is a predatory journal?
A PREDATORY JOURNAL IS A PUBLICATION
THAT ACTIVELY ASKS RESEARCHERS FOR
MANUSCRIPTS.
THEY HAVE NO PEER REVIEW SYSTEM AND
NO TRUE EDITORIAL BOARD AND ARE
OFTEN FOUND TO PUBLISH MEDIOCRE OR
EVEN WORTHLESS PAPERS.
THEY ALSO ASK FOR HUGE PUBLICATION
CHARGES.
4. Predatory Journal
Predatory journals is a phrase
(now in wider usage) coined
by Jeffrey Beall, scholarly
communications librarian at
the University of Colorado at
Denver, that refers to journals
(and journal publishers) whose
main purpose seems to be to
exploit ("prey on") scholars
and academics and their need
to publish the results of their
research.
6. Introduction
In March 2008, Gunther Eysenbach, publisher
of an early open access journal, drew attention
to what he called,
"black sheep among open access publishers
and journals”
7. Introduction
In July 2008, Richard Poynder's interview series brought
attention to the practices of new publishers who were
"better able to exploit the opportunities of the new
environment."
Doubts about honesty and scams in a subset of open-
access journals continued to be raised in 2009.
Concerns for spamming practices ushered the leading open
access publishers to create the
“Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association in 2008”.
9. Introduction
In another early precedent, in
2009 the Improbable Research
blog had found that Scientific
Research Publishing's journals
duplicated papers already
published elsewhere; the case
was subsequently reported in
Nature.
10. Introduction
In 2010, Cornell University
graduate student Phil Davis
(editor of the Scholarly
Kitchen blog) submitted a
manuscript consisting of
computer-generated nonsense
(using SCIgen) which was
accepted for a fee (but
withdrawn by the author).
11. CRAP Paper Accepted By Journal
Phil Davis is consultant
specializing in analysis of
citation, readership, and survey
data. He has
a publishing
the statistical
publication
a Ph.D. in science
communication from Cornell University
(2010), extensive experience as a science
librarian (1995-2006) and was trained as a
life scientist.
12. Introduction
Predatory publishers have been reported to hold submissions hostage,
refusing to allow them to be withdrawn and thereby preventing submission
in another journal.
13. Bohannon's
experiment
About 60% of those journals, including the Journal of Natural
Pharmaceuticals, accepted the faked medical paper, and 40%,
including the most established one, PLOS ONE, rejected it.
In 2013, John Bohannon, a staff writer for the journal Science and for
popular science publications, targeted the open access system by
submitting to a number of such journals a deeply flawed paper and
published the results in a paper called, "Who's Afraid of Peer Review?".
"Who's Afraid of Peer Review?"
15. 'Dr Fraud' experiment
• In 2015, four researchers created a fictitious sub-
par scientist named Anna O. Szust (oszust is
Polish for "fraud" [person]), and applied on her
behalf for an editor position to 360 scholarly
journals.
• Szust's qualifications were dismal for the role of
an editor; she had never published a single article
and had no editorial experience.
• The books and book chapters listed on her CV
were made-up, as were the publishing houses
that published the books.
17. 'Dr Fraud’ experiment
One-third of the journals to which
Szust applied were sampled from
Beall's List of 'predatory' journals.
Forty of these predatory journals
accepted Szust as editor without
any background vetting and often
within days or even hours.
By comparison, she received
minimal to no positive response
from the "control" journals which
"must meet certain standards of
quality, including ethical
publishing practices."
18. Anna O. Szust (oszust is Polish for "fraud" [person]
19. 'Dr Fraud'
experiment
Among journals sampled from the
Directory of Open Access Journals
(DOAJ), 8 of 120 accepted Szust.
The DOAJ has since removed some
(but not all) of the affected
journals in a recent purge. None of
the 120 sampled journals listed in
Journal Citation Reports (JCR)
offered Szust the position.
The results of the experiment
were published in Nature in
March 2017, and widely presented
in the press.
21. SCIgen experiments
SCIgen, a computer program that
randomly generates academic
computer science papers using
context-free grammar, has
generated papers that have been
accepted by a number of predatory
journals as well as predatory
conferences.
22. How three MIT students fooled the world of
scientific journals
23. Why do academics
publish in such
journals?
In research environments, there is usually
more value for quantity over quality.
Hiring and promotion of academics is based
largely on their number of publications.
Predatory journals has helped many pseudo-
researchers to prosper.
24. What is the harm caused by predatory journals?
• Predatory and low-quality journals corrupt the
literature.
• Medical science has been particularly hit hard,
with journals now devoted to unscientific
medicine.
• “Peer review is at the heart of academic
evaluation.
• Publishing without peer review [while
pretending that peer review was done] gives
poor and mediocre academics a chance for jobs
and promotions which should go to better
qualified researchers,”
25. How does one find out if a given
journal is predatory or not?
• some people think any journal from an
unknown publisher, or a journal that
charges for publication, is necessarily
predatory.
• That is not necessarily correct. The important
thing is to dig deeper and find the quality of
submitted manuscripts and its standards,”
26. How does one find out if a given journal is
predatory or not?
27. Beall’s criteria for identification
of predatory journals
• Here is a curated list Beall’s criteria for
identification of predatory journals and
publishers
• No single individual is identified as specific
journal’s editor with no formal editorial/review
board or the same editorial board for more
than one journal.
• The editor and/or review board members do
not have academic expertise in the journal’s
field.
29. Checklist to Identify Fake Journal
• Do you or your colleagues know the journal?
• Can you easily identify and contact the publisher?
• Is the journal clear about the type of peer review
it uses?
• Are articles indexed in services that you use?
• Is it clear what fees will be charged?
• Do you recognise the editorial board?
• Is the publisher a member of a recognised
industry initiative (COPE,DOAJ,OASPA)?
30. Checklist to Identify Fake Journal
• The publisher has poorly maintained websites,
including dead links, prominent misspellings and
grammatical errors on the website.
• The publisher makes unauthorised use of
licensed images on their website, taken from
the open web, without permission or licensing
from the copyright owners.
• Re-publish papers already published in other
venues/outlets without providing appropriate
credits.
32. Checklist to Identify Fake Journal
• Use boastful language claiming to be a ‘leading publisher’ even
though the publisher may only be a start-up or a novice
organisation.
• Provide minimal or no copyediting or proofreading of
submissions.
• Publish papers that are not academic at all, e.g. essays by lay
people, polemical editorials, or pseudo-science.
• Have a ‘contact us’ page that only includes a web form or an
email address, and the publisher hides or does not reveal its
location.
• The publisher publishes journals that are excessively broad (e.g.
Journal of Education) or combine two or more fields not
normally treated together (e.g. International Journal of Business,
Humanities and Technology) in order to attract more articles and
gain more revenue from author fees.
34. Characteristics of Predatory Journals
• Accepting articles quickly with little or no peer review or quality
control, including hoax and nonsensical papers.
• Notifying academics of article fees only after papers are
accepted.
• Aggressively campaigning for academics to submit articles or
serve on editorial boards.
• Listing academics as members of editorial boards without their
permission, and not allowing academics to resign from editorial
boards.
• Appointing fake academics to editorial boards.
• Mimicking the name or web site style of more established
journals.
• Making misleading claims about the publishing operation, such
as a false location.
• Using ISSNs improperly.
• Citing fake or non-existent impact factors.
35.
36. Predatory Open Access Publishing
open-access publishing is an
open-access
• Predatory
exploitative
publishing business model that
academic
involves
charging publication fees to authors without
providing the editorial and publishing
services associated with legitimate journals
(open access or not).
37.
38. Predatory open access publishing
• The idea that they are "predatory" is based
on the view that academics are tricked into
publishing with them, though some authors
may be aware that the journal is poor
quality or even fraudulent.
• New scholars from developing countries are
said to be especially at risk of being misled by
predatory practices.
39. HRD ministry to remove all bogus journals
• For the study titled “A critical analysis of the
‘UGC-approved list of journals’, a team of six
researchers, in association with the human
resource development (HRD) ministry, analysed
1,336 academic periodicals randomly selected
from a list of 5,699 journals in the so-called
university-source component.
• Their conclusion: “Over 88% of non-indexed
journals in the university source component of
UGC-approved list could be of low quality.”
41. HRD ministry to remove all bogus
journals
• The dubious publications were identified by
the team of researchers that included
Bhushan Patwardhan, a professor at the
Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), a
special invitee member on the UGC Standing
Committee for Notification of Journals and
former vice-chancellor of Symbiosis
International University
43. HRD ministry to remove all bogus journals
• Out of the 1,336 journals studied, 897 were
disqualified from the UGC- approved list of journals
by the human resource development ministry for
providing false information such as an incorrect
ISSN (International Standard Serial Number), making
false claims about the impact getting published in their
pages would have, indexing in dubious databases,
poor credentials of editors and non-availability of
information such as an address, website details and
names of editors. Papers published in the
disqualified journals will not be considered valid.
47. References
• Predatory open access publishing
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predatory_open_access_publishing
• Predatory Journals: What are they?
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4845443/
• Predatory Journals putting a question mark on quality research in India
• https://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/breaking-shackles/predatory-journals-
putting-a-question-mark-on-quality-research-in-india/
• Rise in 'predatory publishers' has sparked a warning for scientists and
researchers
• http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-13/rise-in-predatory-publishers-sparks-
warning-for-researchers/9640950
• Thirteen ways to spot a ‘predatory journal’ (and why we shouldn’t call
them that)
• https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/thirteen-ways-to-spot-a-
predatory-journal-and-why-we-shouldnt-call-them-that