Scholarly metrics come, but some never go — even when they should. Here are three examples of dead metrics, scholarly metrics that are still around yet infrequently used and of little or no practical value to researchers or librarians.
Dead Metrics
December 10, 2015
29 Comments | 
Scholarly Open-Access Publishers | Tagged: Impact factor, Metrics, Web of Science | 
Permalink
Posted by Jeffrey Beall
Two Publishers Both Publish Many of the Same Journals
December 8, 2015
Two publishers to avoid.
Two publishers — one based in Pennsylvania and one claiming to be based in Indiana — currently publish many of the same journals.
3 Comments | Scholarly Open-Access Publishers | Tagged: China | Permalink
Posted by Jeffrey Beall
Open-Access Journal Offers to Pay Peer Reviewers
December 3, 2015
World Journal of Exploitation
The World Journal of Biotechnology is a new, niche journal that fulfills the long-standing demand for an international publication outlet in the field of biotechnology.
Not really. In fact, it’s a broad-scoped journal that duplicates the coverage of dozens of other fake, low-quality open-access journals in biotechnology. This one only stands out because it offers to pay its peer reviewers.
14 Comments | Scholarly Open-Access Publishers, Unethical Practices, spam email | Tagged: Pakistan, peer reviewing, biotechnology | Permalink
Posted by Jeffrey Beall
The International Journal of Simulation Modelling: A Review
December 1, 2015
A good model ?
I’ve received inquiries about the International Journal of Simulation Modelling. It’s not on my list, but it is borderline, at best. Let me show you what I mean.
11 Comments | article processing charges, Scholarly Open-Access Publishers | Tagged: Editorial boards, Impact factor, Journal sponsorships, Slovenia | Permalink
Posted by Jeffrey Beall
“No Author Fee” Open-Access Journal Bills Author for His Accepted Paper
November 26, 2015
Annals of Misrepresentation
The South Korean journal Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine (ARM) claims on its website that authors are not charged any fees, but one author received a bill after his paper was accepted for publication.
On its website the journal clearly states,
There is no author’s submission fee or other publication related fee since every cost for the publication process is supported by the publisher; therefore it is the [sic] platinum open access journal
They very clearly state there are no fees.
The website even links to this blog and a post here that explains the platinum open-access model, free to authors and free to readers.
However, the evidence shows that the journal billed one author from South Asia after his paper was accepted. A PDF copy of the bill is here, with identifying information redacted at the author’s request.
The author wrote to the journal and asked why he was being invoiced given the journal’s stated policy of no author fees. He received this reply from the journal:
Dear [Redacted],
Thank you for your question.
The publication cost is charged about whole editing process including the manuscript editing and English editing.
Although your article does not contain any color pictures, we do post all the papers and pictures in color on the web. (As you don’t want color pictures, your pictures are printed in black and white on papers.)
Therefore you have to pay the cost for publication of your article in the ARM.
Best Regards,
Se Hee Jung
Associate Editor,
Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine
This nonsense reply is unprofessional and abusive. It directly contradicts what is stated on the journal’s website and leads one to wonder what other abusive practices the journal engages in.
I recommend that researchers avoid submitting manuscripts to the Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine. It is an unprofessional and exploitative publication and it may be beyond rehabilitation.
14 Comments | article processing charges, Scholarly Open-Access Publishers, Unethical Practices | Tagged: South Asia, South Korea | Permalink
Posted by Jeffrey Beall
Predatory Publishers Love Academia.edu
November 24, 2015
Spam benefiting a predatory journal from Academia.edu ?
Some predatory or questionable publishers are using scholarly collaboration networks such as Academia.edu to promote their open-access journals and to make them look more legitimate than they really are. One of these is a publisher called Eclat Research Publication, a firm that publishes a single journal, the International Journal of Engineering Research and Management.
18 Comments | Scholarly Open-Access Publishers | Tagged: Academia.edu, Social Collaboration Networks | Permalink
Posted by Jeffrey Beall
Is this 17 Year-Old Korean Ph.D. Student a Plagiarist?
November 20, 2015
Yoo-geun Song turns 18 next week.
South Korean prodigy Yoo-geun Song is 17 years-old and about to complete his Ph.D. in astrophysics. The boy genius, along with his dissertation adviser Seok Jae Park, co-authored an article published last month in The Astrophysical Journal, but regrettably, the article closely matches a book chapter published in 2002. The chapter is not cited in the new article.
32 Comments | Unethical Practices | Tagged: 송유근, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, South Korea | Permalink
Posted by Jeffrey Beall
