Look out for Predatory Journals

Physician's First Watch

May 28th, 2018

Predatory Journals Are Such a Big Problem It’s Not Even Funny

I’ve made fun of academic spam numerous times on this site.

It’s those emails from dubious “predatory journals,” written in cheerful but awkward prose, with flowery praise and open invitations to submit research on various scientific topics.

You know, the emails that start:

Dear Dr. Paul E.
Greetings for the day!

Most of my coverage has been on how (unintentionally) funny they are. By carpet bombing anyone with a scientific or academic affiliation with these emails, their ability to match content areas with the recipients often misses the mark. For example, I receive an inordinate number of invitations to submit papers to fish-related journals. Go figure.

More at https://blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-obs...urnals-big-problem-not-even-funny/2018/05/28/

 

@MeSci, thank you for your thread on this.

It makes me wonder yet again, (for the umpteenth time), if trusting the professionals is such a good idea. Predatory journals take a fee and don't do peer review.

Recently, a Canadian professor was suspended for reporting that some of his colleagues advance their careers by publishing in predatory journals:

https://vancouversun.com/news/local...possible-breach-of-b-c-profs-academic-freedom


The following is advice from the University of Saskatchewan about this problem:

https://libguides.usask.ca/predatorypublishers


There are also predatory conferences:

https://libguides.gwumc.edu/PredatoryPublishing/Conferences


And, there are also lots of fake degrees out there:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/diploma-mills-marketplace-fake-degrees-1.4279513


It's bad enough we see research problems in the so-called real world of academia; now it appears anyone can hang out their shingle!