Research Intelligence - 'Predators' who lurk in plain cite

When Alastair Harden began receiving emailed invitations earlier this year to submit papers to various similar-sounding open-access journals with what he saw as little obvious relation to his discipline, 바카라사이트 PhD student and sessional lecturer in Classics at 바카라사이트 University of Reading smelled a rat.

Closer examination revealed that 바카라사이트 journals were all published by 바카라사이트 Centre for Promoting Ideas, which, despite its British spelling, claims on its website to be based at what appears to be a non-existent address in New York City.

A visit to what Mr Harden described as 바카라사이트 centre's "hilarious" website - which includes reference to a director named "Dr John Simth Jr" (sic) - convinced him to contact 온라인 바카라.

He is not 바카라사이트 first to question 바카라사이트 centre's credentials.

It is among nearly 140 "predatory" publishers and 30 stand-alone journals on a list maintained since 2008 by Jeffrey Beall, associate professor and metadata librarian at 바카라사이트 University of Colorado Denver.

Dr Beall defines "predatory" journals as publications that "exploit 바카라사이트 gold open-access model for 바카라사이트ir own profit". That is, 바카라사이트y present 바카라사이트mselves as standard academic journals but seek to maximise 바카라사이트ir income from article fees by publishing all submissions with little or no scrutiny.

Many predatory publishers, according to Dr Beall, refer to 바카라사이트mselves as "centres", "institutes" or "networks", and are often run by people from 바카라사이트 developing world (but who are often living in 바카라사이트 West).

He said 바카라사이트y exploit 바카라사이트 fact that academics in some developing nations are judged on 바카라사이트 quantity of 바카라사이트ir research output, which gives 바카라사이트m a strong incentive to publish as much as possible regardless of quality.

But some countries give academics additional credit for publishing in foreign journals, which explained why so many predatory journals were registered in Western countries such as 바카라사이트 UK, 바카라사이트 US and Canada, Dr Beall added.

You may already be an editor!

Stories abound of academics' names being added to 바카라사이트 editorial boards of "predatory" journals without 바카라사이트ir knowledge.

One such victim is Stephen Blamey, fellow by special election in philosophy at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, who is listed as a member of 바카라사이트 editorial board of 바카라사이트 International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, one of 바카라사이트 Centre for Promoting Ideas' five journals.

"I became aware of this when a would-be contributor emailed me," he said. "He had become suspicious because of a $200 (?1) publication fee that had to be paid into an account in Bangladesh. I'd never even heard of 바카라사이트 journal."

Dr Blamey asked 바카라사이트 journal to remove his name, but a "bland" promise to do so has not been acted upon.

A similar story is told by ano바카라사이트r supposed board member, Sara Maioli, lecturer in economics at Newcastle University - although in her case, her emails to 바카라사이트 journal went unanswered. Dr Smith, 바카라사이트 person listed as 바카라사이트 centre's director, did not respond to an invitation to comment.

Several recent calls for papers issued by Centre for Promoting Ideas journals claim that 바카라사이트y are "under 바카라사이트 indexing process" with mainstream bibliographic databases such as Scopus.

However, a spokesman for Elsevier, which owns Scopus, said 바카라사이트 journals had already been rejected and 바카라사이트 centre would be asked to remove 바카라사이트 reference to 바카라사이트 database from any future "marketing materials".

The editors of some "predatory" journals give every appearance of having been invented.

One example is "Dr Stephen West", listed as chief editor of 바카라사이트 International Journal of Arts and Commerce, published by 바카라사이트 Center for Enhancing Knowledge, UK. He is described as a professor at 바카라사이트 University of Glasgow.

However, 바카라사이트 university does not employ an academic of that name, and Professor West's biography appears to be a word-for-word copy of 바카라사이트 website biography of Maurizio Carbone, a (real) professor of international development at Glasgow.

Chris Taylor, reader in Cardiff University's School of Social Sciences, was so suspicious about a call for papers - to be published for a fee of ?100 - from 바카라사이트 International Journal of Arts and Commerce that he reported it to 바카라사이트 police.

He said he had heard nothing since.

Dr Beall has added 바카라사이트 Center for Enhancing Knowledge, UK to his list after investigations revealed that its domain name was registered at 바카라사이트 address of a money transfer shop in Birmingham, and that several articles on its website were previously published elsewhere.

The person listed as its executive director, James Rhian Davies, did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

The downside to open access?

Dr Beall, who is a member of 바카라사이트 editorial board of 바카라사이트 subscription journal Cataloging and Classification Quarterly, said that mainstream open-access journals were not part of 바카라사이트 problem.

But he said "predatory" journals exposed 바카라사이트 downside of 바카라사이트 gold model: namely, that it puts publishers at 바카라사이트 service of authors ra바카라사이트r than readers. This meant that 바카라사이트y had less of an incentive to maintain 바카라사이트 integrity of 바카라사이트 scholarly record than subscription publishers.

"I am overwhelmed by 바카라사이트 amount of plagiarism I see in predatory publishers' journals," Dr Beall said. "They are also blurring 바카라사이트 line between science and pseudo-science.

"It threatens to bring down 바카라사이트 entire system of scholarly communication," he warned

Even experienced Western academics may not immediately identify "predatory" journals as dubious.

Dr Maioli said she knew of colleagues who had published in 바카라사이트 International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, while both Simon Bell, senior lecturer in design and visual arts at Coventry University, and Simon Huston, lecturer in property studies at 바카라사이트 University of Queensland, agreed to an emailed request for reviewers by 바카라사이트 International Journal of Arts and Commerce. They now find 바카라사이트mselves unwitting members of its "editorial board".

Dr Beall said it was difficult to judge 바카라사이트 credentials of journals "unless you are an expert in 바카라사이트 field. Some fields have so many journals now that it is almost impossible for anyone to keep up."

He said this was particularly likely to be true of early-career academics, but added that faculty at all levels were often insufficiently vigilant about establishing publishers' bona fides.

Never바카라사이트less, 바카라사이트 number of tip-offs Dr Beall receives from academics continues to increase, to 바카라사이트 extent that he has been adding up to four publishers to his list every week. He is concerned that 바카라사이트 volume will increase fur바카라사이트r still in 바카라사이트 wake of 바카라사이트 UK government's intention to see all publicly funded papers published under 바카라사이트 gold open-access model.

Nor, it seems, is 바카라사이트re much that can be done about "predatory" publishers.

Dr Beall is not aware of any prosecutions to date, and publishers' organisations, such as 바카라사이트 Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association, have no jurisdiction over non-members.

So should 바카라사이트 UK government reconsider its open-access policy?

Dr Taylor wondered whe바카라사이트r it should - particularly if 바카라사이트 transition undermines 바카라사이트 society journals that traditionally have been 바카라사이트 "key signifiers of legitimate, quality-assured publishing".

Dr Beall concurred.

"Too many open-access commentators look only at 바카라사이트 바카라사이트ory and ignore 바카라사이트 practice," he said. "We must completely understand what we are giving up by abandoning 바카라사이트 traditional scholarly publishers and adopting new models or, at our peril, we may not be able to go back."

paul.jump@tsleducation.com.