scholarly journals Academic E-Mail Overload and the Burden of “Academic Spam”

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 237428951989885
Author(s):  
Kelly E. Wood ◽  
Matthew D. Krasowski
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Academic Institutions ◽  
Predatory Journals ◽  
Significant Volume ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
E Mail

This article presents an editorial perspective on the challenges associated with e-mail management for academic physicians. We include 2-week analysis of our own e-mails as illustrations of the e-mail volume and content. We discuss the contributors to high e-mail volumes, focusing especially on unsolicited e-mails from medical/scientific conferences and open-access journals (sometimes termed “academic spam emails”), as these e-mails comprise a significant volume and are targeted to physicians and scientists. Our 2-person sample is consistent with studies showing that journals that use mass e-mail advertising have low rates of inclusion in recognized journal databases/resources. Strategies for managing e-mail are discussed and include unsubscribing, blocking senders or domains, filtering e-mails, managing one’s inbox, limiting e-mail access, and e-mail etiquette. Academic institutions should focus on decreasing the volume of unsolicited e-mails, fostering tools to manage e-mail overload, and educating physicians including trainees about e-mail practices, predatory journals, and scholarly database/resources.

scholarly journals Predatory journals and publishers at a glance: take apart or take over?

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 46-50
Author(s):  
Meghit Boumediene Khaled ◽  
Mustapha Diaf
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Associate Professor ◽  
Predatory Journals ◽  
University Of Colorado ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
Active Researcher ◽  
Multiple Copies ◽  
The University ◽  
E Mail

Have you ever received and been seduced by such attractive and flattering messages from editors? " .. Please accept our apologies if you receive multiple copies of this call for papers. This email is for Academic/Editorial information and not for commercial purposes. This e-mail was sent to you as an active researcher .." Or "… Already we contacted you earlier. Since we have not received any response from you, we are taking the liberty to resend the same regarding the submission of manuscript towards the Journal …..". The answer is obviously "Yes! ". Those beautiful messages come from a plethora of journals that have sprung up during the last few years, very talented to attract, becoming more and more annoying, under the name of "Predatory journals" as called by Beall, a librarian at Auraria Library and associate professor at the University of Colorado Denver, who compiled, from 2011 to January 2017, annual lists of potential, possible, or probably predatory scholarly open access journals

scholarly journals Awareness of predatory journals and open access publishing among orthopaedic and trauma surgeons – results from an online survey in Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elke Maurer ◽  
Nike Walter ◽  
Tina Histing ◽  
Lydia Anastasopoulou ◽  
Thaqif El Khassawna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Peer Review Process ◽  
Trauma Surgery ◽  
Open Access Publishing ◽  
Predatory Journals ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
Trauma Surgeons

Abstract Background Along with emerging open access journals (OAJ) predatory journals increasingly appear. As they harm accurate and good scientific research, we aimed to examine the awareness of predatory journals and open access publishing among orthopaedic and trauma surgeons. Methods In an online survey between August and December 2019 the knowledge on predatory journals and OAJ was tested with a hyperlink made available to the participants via the German Society for Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery (DGOU) email distributor. Results Three hundred fifty orthopaedic and trauma surgeons participated, of which 291 complete responses (231 males (79.4%), 54 females (18.6%) and 5 N/A (2.0%)) were obtained. 39.9% were aware of predatory journals. However, 21.0% knew about the “Directory of Open Access Journals” (DOAJ) as a register for non-predatory open access journals. The level of profession (e.g. clinic director, consultant) (p = 0.018) influenced the awareness of predatory journals. Interestingly, participants aware of predatory journals had more often been listed as corresponding authors (p < 0.001) and were well published as first or last author (p < 0.001). Awareness of OAJ was masked when journal selection options did not to provide any information on the editorial board, the peer review process or the publication costs. Conclusion The impending hazard of predatory journals is unknown to many orthopaedic and trauma surgeons. Early stage clinical researchers must be trained to differentiate between predatory and scientifically accurate journals.

scholarly journals How Frequently Are Articles in Predatory Open Access Journals Cited

Publications ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo-Christer Björk ◽  
Sari Kanto-Karvonen ◽  
J. Tuomas Harviainen
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Open Access ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Random Sample ◽  
Academic Publishing ◽  
Scientific Quality ◽  
Scientific Impact ◽  
Predatory Journals ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
Citation Statistics

Predatory journals are Open Access journals of highly questionable scientific quality. Such journals pretend to use peer review for quality assurance, and spam academics with requests for submissions, in order to collect author payments. In recent years predatory journals have received a lot of negative media. While much has been said about the harm that such journals cause to academic publishing in general, an overlooked aspect is how much articles in such journals are actually read and in particular cited, that is if they have any significant impact on the research in their fields. Other studies have already demonstrated that only some of the articles in predatory journals contain faulty and directly harmful results, while a lot of the articles present mediocre and poorly reported studies. We studied citation statistics over a five-year period in Google Scholar for 250 random articles published in such journals in 2014 and found an average of 2.6 citations per article, and that 56% of the articles had no citations at all. For comparison, a random sample of articles published in the approximately 25,000 peer reviewed journals included in the Scopus index had an average of 18, 1 citations in the same period with only 9% receiving no citations. We conclude that articles published in predatory journals have little scientific impact.

scholarly journals Publishing at Any Cost? The Need for the Improvement of the Quality of Scholarly Publications

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 214
Author(s):  
Maria José Sá ◽  
Carlos Miguel Ferreira ◽  
Ana Isabel Santos ◽  
Sandro Serpa
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Critical Element ◽  
Academic Institutions ◽  
Scientific Publications ◽  
Scholarly Publications ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
Open Review ◽  
Different Levels

At a time of great dynamism among publishers of scientific publications, with the inevitability of Open Access and the ease of publishing online at low cost, it is possible to find publications with different levels of scientific respectability. In this context, the improvement of the quality of scholarly publications emerges as a critical element for publishers, authors and academic institutions, as well as for society in general. This opinion piece discusses Open Access journals with different levels of quality, focusing on the following quality-promoting measures: blacklists, author’s preparation, and institutional prevention. The analysis allows concluding that the open review will be one of the key elements in the process of clarification and promotion of the level of quality and consequent scientific respectability of each of the Journals, of the thousands currently existing, a number that is likely to increase.

scholarly journals Periódicos da Ciência da Informação em acesso aberto: uma análise dos títulos listados no DOAJ e indexados na Scopus │ Open access journals in information Science: an analysis of the titles listed in DOAJ and indexed in Scopus

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Da Silva Neubert ◽  
Rosângela Schwarz Rodrigues ◽  
Luiza Helena Goulart
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Scientific Journals ◽  
Web Resources ◽  
Content Sharing ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
Funding Agencies ◽  
Rss Feeds ◽  
E Mail

Resumo Analisa os periódicos em acesso aberto da área de ciência da informação listados no DOAJ e indexados na Scopus. Os objetivos específicos são: a) descrever os periódicos científicos da área de ciência da informação em acesso aberto, b) registrar a visibilidade dos periódicos e c) verificar o uso de recursos web. Os periódicos da área de ciência da informação são publicações criadas a partir de 1990 (93,33%) sem patrocínio, publicados na América e Europa (80%), em inglês (73,33%), e mantidos por universidades, institutos de fomento a pesquisa e por associações (86,67%). Possuem Ìndice H com média 8,47, e 40% dos títulos são classificados no Qualis. Quanto aos recursos web, 33,33% possui canal de notícias, 26,66% feeds RSS, 13,33% blogs e 6,67% página no Facebook. Em relação aos recursos para compartilhamento pelo leitor, os 13,33% cuja plataforma é o Scielo disponibilizam recursos para compartilhamento por e-mail e por widget.Palavras-chave periódicos científicos; Ciência da Informação; acesso aberto; bases de dados; visibilidade dos periódicos; recursos webAbstract Analysis of open access journals in the field of library and information science listed in DOAJ and indexed in Scopus. The specific objectives are: a) to describe the scientific journals in the field of information science open access, b) recording the visibility of the journals and c) to check the usage of web resources by the journals. The information science open access publications are mostly created starting from 1990 (93.33%), unsponsored, published in North America and Europe (80%), in English (73.33% ), and maintained by universities, institutes and research funding agencies and associations (86.67%). The H index has an average of 8.47, and only 40% of the titles are classified in Qualis. The actions associated with web: 33.33% have news, RSS feeds are 26.66%, 13.33% blogs and 6.67% have a page in Facebook. Regarding resources for content sharing by the reader, 13.33% is on the Scielo platform for sharing resources available by e-mail and widget. Keywords Scientific journals; Information science; Open Access; Databases; Visibility of journals; Web resources

scholarly journals Revisão por pares aberta

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisca Clotilde de Andrade Maia ◽  
Maria Giovanna Guedes Farias
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Biomed Central ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
Article Processing Charges ◽  
E Mail

Objetivo: A revisão por pares aberta é um dos modelos de avaliação vem sendo discutido na literatura científica, por estar em consonância com os princípios da ciência aberta. Diante disso, este estudo objetiva identificar o modelo de revisão adotado pelos periódicos científicos indexados no filtro open peer review do Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), a fim de analisar se essas revistas contemplam as setes características apontadas por Ross-Hellauer (2017a). Método: Baseou-se na abordagem quanti-qualitativa, com uso do método exploratório e das técnicas de coleta de dados: pesquisa documental e entrevista não-estruturada. No DOAJ procedeu-se com o download de metadados e visitas aos websites de cada periódico a ser analisado. Já a entrevista não-estruturada foi efetivada por e-mail e mídia social dos editores. Para a análise dos dados adotou-se a análise de conteúdo, com o estabelecimento de categorias. Resultados: Apontam que a maior parte da amostra dos periódicos é oriunda do Reino Unido, está sob responsabilidade da editora BioMed Central (BMC), publicam em inglês, cobram o pagamento de taxa Article Processing Charges (APC) e cobrem a área Ciências da Saúde. As características identidades abertas e pareceres abertos são as mais adotadas pelos periódicos científicos da amostra. Além disso, de acordo com os editores, as revisões abertas são mais justas e atuam como um tutorial de ensino sobre como realizar um parecer científico. Os resultados demonstram ainda que a revisão aberta impacta na qualidade do manuscrito, resulta em avaliações melhores, mais construtivas, menos negativas e atua como uma alternativa para valorizar o trabalho voluntário dos avaliadores. Conclusões: Conclui-se que o modelo de revisão aberta mostra-se ser uma alternativa viável e que, com base nos resultados, pode-se considerá-lo como um modelo eficaz e que proporciona diversas contribuições para o processo de revisão por pares, em especial, para torná-lo mais transparente e justo.  

Predatory Open Access Journals and Attainment of Educational Sustainable Development Goals in Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 64-77
Author(s):  
Wole Michael Olatokun ◽  
Ojinga Gideon Omuinu
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Open Access ◽  
Education System ◽  
Scientific Communication ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Quality Education ◽  
Predatory Journals ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Predatory Publishing

Putting into consideration the objective of the SDG 4, it would be important to note that the provision, access, and use of information resources such as open access (OA) journals is a sine qua non for quality education in Africa. Despite its importance to the education system, open access journals have been proliferated by predatory journals. Stakeholders in the OA movement and academia claim that predatory publishing is a big problem for scientific communication and could undermine development efforts. Hence, the increasing use of predatory open access journals could affect the attainment of SDGs in Africa; hence, there is the need to raise awareness to enhance the possibility of attaining the SDGs in Africa. This chapter will among others enumerate the possible havocs predatory open access journals can create and the setbacks on the attainment of SDGs in Africa. It will also spell out the necessary prospects of curtailing these havocs and setbacks towards providing quality-based information resources such as open access journals to the education societies in Africa.

Identifying Predatory Journals in Plastic Surgery: A Prospective Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 229255032110024
Author(s):  
Matteo Gallo ◽  
Lucas Gallo ◽  
Sadek Mowakket ◽  
Jessica Murphy ◽  
Eric Duku ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Plastic Surgery ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Predatory Journals ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
Acceptance Rates ◽  
A Prospective Study ◽  
Surgery Journals

Background: Predatory journals promise high acceptance rates and quick publication in exchange for a processing fee. As these journals aim to maximize profits, they neglect traditional mechanisms used to ensure a high-quality publication. Unsolicited email invitations are a characteristic of predatory journals that often inundate the inboxes of surgeons. The objective of this study is to use these emails to identify potentially predatory journals in the area of surgery and plastic surgery. Methods: Unsolicited email requests from surgery-related journals were collected over a 3-month period. Journals were evaluated using a modified version of the Rohrich and Weinstein checklist. The average number of “predatory” criteria met by these potentially predatory journals (PPJs) was compared to that of the top open-access plastic surgery journals which were assumed to be non-predatory for the purposes of this study. Results: In total, 437 unsolicited email requests were received. Of these, 92 emails, representing 57 PPJs, were eligible for inclusion. On average, the PPJs met 5 of the 12 “predatory” criteria, compared to less than 1 in the comparison group. Approximately 96% of these emails, or the respective websites, contained obvious spelling or grammatical mistakes; 98% of these emails came from journals not listed on Scopus, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and/or Web of Science. Conclusions: Of the journals that sent unsolicited emails, 98% met 2 or more criteria and were deemed to be predatory. If a journal contains grammatical mistakes and is not listed on Scopus, DOAJ, and/or Web of Science, authors should be cautious.

scholarly journals Dealing with predatory journal articles captured in systematic reviews

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle B. Rice ◽  
Becky Skidmore ◽  
Kelly D. Cobey
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Predatory Journals ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
Predatory Journal

Abstract Background Systematic reviews appraise and synthesize the results from a body of literature. In healthcare, systematic reviews are also used to develop clinical practice guidelines. An increasingly common concern among systematic reviews is that they may unknowingly capture studies published in “predatory” journals and that these studies will be included in summary estimates and impact results, guidelines, and ultimately, clinical care. Findings There is currently no agreed-upon guidance that exists for how best to manage articles from predatory journals that meet the inclusion criteria for a systematic review. We describe a set of actions that authors of systematic reviews can consider when handling articles published in predatory journals: (1) detail methods for addressing predatory journal articles a priori in a study protocol, (2) determine whether included studies are published in open access journals and if they are listed in the directory of open access journals, and (3) conduct a sensitivity analysis with predatory papers excluded from the synthesis. Conclusion Encountering eligible articles published in presumed predatory journals when conducting a review is an increasingly common threat. Developing appropriate methods to account for eligible research published in predatory journals is needed to decrease the potential negative impact of predatory journals on healthcare.

scholarly journals Predatory journals and dubious publishers: how to avoid being their prey

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Kisely
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Warning Signs ◽  
Scholarly Activity ◽  
Open Access Publishing ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
List Type ◽  
Predatory Journals ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
Predatory Journal

SUMMARYOpen access publishing has a dark side, the predatory publishers and journals that exist for revenue rather than scholarly activity. This article helps researchers to: (1) identify some of the commonly used tactics and characteristics of predatory publishing; and (2) avoid falling prey to them. In summary, authors should choose the journal for submission themselves and never respond to unsolicited emails. It is also important to check blacklists such as ‘Stop Predatory Journals’ and whitelists such the Directory of Open Access Journals.LEARNING OBJECTIVESAfter reading this article, readers should be able to do the following: •be aware of the dangers of predatory journals and publishers•use blacklists of predatory journals and publishers’ whitelists of legitimate open access journals•be aware of warning signs that might suggest a predatory journal or publisher.DECLARATION OF INTERESTS.K. is on the editorial board of BJPsych International. He also receives five to ten spam emails a day from predatory journals and publishers.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document