scholarly journals A psychological perspective towards understanding the objective and subjective gray zones in predatory publishing

Author(s):  
Yuki Yamada ◽  
Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva

AbstractA continued lack of clarity persists because academics, policymakers, and other interested parties are unable to clearly define what is a “predatory” journal or publisher, and a potentially wide gray zone exists there. In this perspective, we argue that journals should be evaluated on a continuum, and not just in two shades, black and white. Since evaluations about what might constitute “predatory” are made by humans, the psychological decision-making system that determines them may induce biases. Considering such human psychological characteristics might shed light on the deterministic criteria that have been used, and continue to be used, to classify a journal or publisher as “predatory”, and perhaps, bring additional clarity to this discussion. Better methods of journal evaluation can be obtained when the factors that polarize journal evaluations are identified. As one example, we need to move away from simply using whitelists and blacklists and educate individual researchers about how to evaluate journals. This paper serves as an educational tool by providing more clarity about the “gray” publishing zone, and argues that currently available qualitative and quantitative systems should be fused to deterministically appreciate the zonation of white, gray and black journals, so as to possibly reduce or eliminate the influence of cognitive or “perception” bias from the “predatory” publishing debate.

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian G. Kern

Researchers employ triangulation to increase the validity of inference in qualitative and quantitative research. Leuffen, Shikano, and Walter have presented guidance as to which strategies to use when triangulating data sources. In this article, I explore how their findings can be translated for practical research purposes. I offer an illustrative application concentrating on the political power of traditional political authorities in Uganda and Tanzania. I analyze the status quo of political power and the preferred political power of traditional leaders. To triangulate, I use three sources: (1) constitutional-legal texts, (2) the Afrobarometer survey, and (3) in-depth interviews. I shed light on possible problems and analytical strategies for triangulation in practice, with a specific focus on convergence and divergence of sources.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 205-220
Author(s):  
Sarah Van Ruyskensvelde ◽  
Mary Kathryn Ketch

Naturalization, or the process through which citizenship is granted to a foreigner, is a process that has begun to increasingly look like that of the school. In the United States, as in many other countries, one of the main features of the naturalization is the civics test. This paper aims to document the historical development of naturalization procedures in the United States and shed light on how schoolish tools were introduced to decide who can be offered or denied American citizenship. Much of past research has critiqued the civics test for its unreliability, or difficulty for even natives. We argue, however, that the current civics test is rather a product of a system that began without a solid foundation. In an attempt to avoid fraud and control efficiency, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has promoted the use of a test that devalues the importance of the choice to re-align loyalties to a country and regulates it to memory testing.


During the competition period highly skilled athletes who specialize in sailing experience fatigue, which manifests itself in the form of coordination disorders in maintaining balance. Therefore, it is important to determine the level and dynamics of the vestibular sense development, provide forecasts and perform the professional selection of athletes into the team. The research on the biomechanical process of maintaining the vertical posture by athletes in this kind of sport and the relevant psychological characteristics is reduced to establishing a qualitative and quantitative relationship between the coordinating properties of an athlete and their main psychological characteristics.


Twejer ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 1075-1116
Author(s):  
Sarwan Sedeeq Hasan ◽  
◽  
Mokhles Saleh Ibrahim ◽  

This paper aims to shed light on the most challenging points in the process of learning the English Language in Kurdistan classes. It also attempts to find the most effective and best methods for learning the Language among Kurdish learners. The data was taken from two workshops and a questionnaire; the workshops took place in both Soran and Tishk international universities; 20 different methods were presented in the workshops as the best methods for learning the English Language. The questionnaire included 15 close-ended and 4 open-ended questions. Qualitative and quantitative methods are used for the analytic process. The main result in the study is visual and audio methods such as movies, songs, programs, videos, and any similar types are the best and most effective tools for learning the English Language. Besides, the grammatical based approached should be changed to a communicative approach in the classes by adding different communicative tools.


Author(s):  
Aaron Williamon ◽  
Jane Ginsborg ◽  
Rosie Perkins ◽  
George Waddell

Chapter 2 of Performing Music Research reviews three methodological approaches: qualitative, quantitative, and multistrategy. While all three approaches can be used to shed light on musical topics, qualitative approaches tend to elicit an understanding of individuals’ idiosyncratic perspectives and experiences, whereas quantitative approaches tend to focus on larger-scale, more generalizable explanations. The chapter considers the main features of these two approaches and addresses the increasing body of work combining qualitative and quantitative forms of enquiry in multistrategy research. It delves deeper into each of the three methodological approaches to illuminate some of the specific strategies associated with them, ranging from the ethnographic exploration of musical cultures to experimental studies testing the very latest innovations in the field.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan M. Allen

PurposeThe academic community has warned that predatory journals may attempt to capitalize on the confusion caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to further publish low quality academic work, eroding the credibility of scholarly publishing.Design/methodology/approachThis article first chronicles the risks of predatory publishing, especially related to misinformation surrounding health research. Next, the author offers an empirical investigation of how predatory publishing has engaged with COVID-19, with an emphasis on journals related to virology, immunology and epidemiology as identified through Cabells' Predatory Reports, through a content analysis of publishers' websites and a comparison to a sample from DOAJ.FindingsThe empirical findings show that there were 162 titles related to these critical areas from journals listed on Cabells with a range of infractions, but most were defunct and only 39 had published on the pandemic. Compared to a DOAJ comparison group, the predatory journal websites were less likely to mention slowdowns to the peer review process related to the pandemic. Furthermore, another 284 predatory journals with COVID-19 engagement were uncovered from the initial exploration. These uncovered journals mostly centered on medical or biological science fields, while 42 titles came from other broader fields in social science, other STEM or humanities.Originality/valueThis study does not prove that predatory publications have released misinformation pertaining to COVID-19, but rather it exemplifies the potential within a complex academic publishing space. As these outlets have proven to be vectors of misleading science, libraries and the broader educational community need to stay vigilant as information intermediaries of online research.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hana N. Hlaváčková ◽  
Lucie Macková

This paper attempts to explore the issue of skilled migration and the approach of the Czech Republic when it comes to attracting and retaining foreign skilled workers. The global competition for talent has been a prominent issue in migration studies, mainly because it has been shown that qualified migration can have a positive impact both on the countries of origin and of destination. The Czech Republic, with its low levels of unemployment, might benefit from the human capital offered by the skilled migration, and yet, there is surprisingly little debate about the type of migration the Czech Republic wants to attract. At best, this debate is driven by short-term employer demands. Surprisingly, there is little research about skilled migration to the Czech Republic and other CEE states despite its clear benefits. This paper will explore the Czech policies and programmes dealing with skilled migration and the possible caveats of these programmes. The main aim of this contribution, done by qualitative and quantitative content analysis, is to analyze past and ongoing programmes of migration and integration policy of the Czech Republic regarding skilled migration. Furthermore, it attempts to shed light on the discursive, implementation, and efficacy gaps in the Czech policies.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara M Mandalaywala

Over half a century ago, psychologists hypothesized that social essentialism, an intuitive theory comprising the beliefs that social categories reflect naturally-occurring distinctions and that category members share an underlying and fundamental essence, lays the foundation for prejudice. In the intervening decades, research has shown that although essentialism sometimes leads to prejudicial beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors, it does not always, sometimes even leading to decreased prejudice toward stigmatized groups. The relation between essentialism and prejudice is clearly complex, but this review proposes four questions that will help clarify how and when essentialism leads to prejudice: (1) What precisely is essentialism and how might a more nuanced understanding of its components and structure shed light on the mechanisms by which essentialist beliefs contribute to prejudice?; (2) Do essentialist beliefs orient group-based prejudice toward out-groups or toward stigmatized groups, and what are the consequences of essentialist beliefs among those with minoritized identities?; (3) Do essentialist beliefs engender group-based prejudice directly, or must essentialist beliefs interact with additional information or belief systems to lead to negative consequences?; and (4) Do essentialist beliefs lay a foundation for group-based prejudice to develop, or is essentialism strategically invoked to justify existing prejudice? By posing these questions, describing what is currently known about each, and proposing future lines of inquiry that focus on the importance of including participants from a diverse set of backgrounds and across developmental periods, this review aims to stimulate research studies best designed to fill the gaps in our knowledge. By understanding how and when essentialism contributes to prejudice, we will be better equipped to use this early-emerging, but malleable, aspect of cognition to decrease prejudice and create a more equitable society.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e040507
Author(s):  
Oluwatosin O Nkereuwem ◽  
Sonali Kochhar ◽  
Oghenebrume Wariri ◽  
Penda Johm ◽  
Amie Ceesay ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo measure the usefulness of a Speaking Book (SB) as an educational tool for enhancing knowledge, understanding and recall of key vaccine-related information among caregivers in The Gambia, as well as its acceptability and relevance as a health promotion tool for caregivers and healthcare workers.Design and settingWe developed a multimedia educational tool, the vaccine Speaking Book, which contained prerecorded information about vaccines provided in The Gambia’s Expanded Programme on Immunization. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, we then conducted a sequential study assessing the use of this tool among caregivers andhealthcare workers in The Gambia.Participants200 caregivers attending primary healthcare centres in The Gambia for routine immunisation services for their infants, and 15 healthcare workers employed to provide immunisation services at these clinics.Outcome measuresWe calculated the median knowledge scores on vaccine-related information obtained at baseline, 1-month and 3-month follow-up visits. Wilcoxon’s matched-pairs signed-rank test was used to compare the difference in the median knowledge scores between baseline and 1-month, and between baseline and 3-month follow-up visits.ResultsOf the 113 caregivers who participated, 104 (92%) completed all three study visits, 108 (95.6%) completed the baseline and 1-month follow-up visits, and 107 (94.7%) completed the baseline and 3-month follow-up visits. The median knowledge score increased from 6.0 (IQR 5.0–7.0) at baseline to 11.0 (IQR 8.0–14.0) at 1-month visit (p<0.001), and 15.0 (IQR 10.0–20.0) at 3-month visit (p<0.001). Qualitative results showed high acceptability and enthusiasm for the Speaking Book among both caregivers and healthcare workers. The Speaking Book was widely shared in the community and this facilitated communication with healthcare workers at the primary healthcare centres.ConclusionsContext-specific and subject-specific Speaking Books are a useful communication and educational tool to increase caregiver vaccine knowledge in low/middle-income countries.


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