'Pay to publish' schemes rampant in science journals
Dozens
of scientific journals appointed a fictive scholar to their editorial boards on
the strength of a bogus resume, researchers determined to expose "pay to
publish" schemes reported Wednesday.
One journal snared in the sting operation offered the imaginary applicant a 60/40 split—60 percent for the journal—of fees collected from scientists seeking to publish their research.
One journal snared in the sting operation offered the imaginary applicant a 60/40 split—60 percent for the journal—of fees collected from scientists seeking to publish their research.
Universities
have famously become "publish or perish" ecosystems, making many
academics desperate to get their work into print.
Several
publications assigned the phantom editor to an unpaid, top-level position.
"It
is our pleasure to add your name as our editor-in-chief for this journal, with
no responsibilities," responded one within days.
"Many
predatory journals hoping to cash in seem to aggressively and indiscriminately
recruit academics to build legitimate-looking editorial boards," Katarzyna
Pisanski, a social scientist at the University of Wroclaw, Poland, wrote in Nature.
In
this case, the publishers padding their mastheads failed to notice that their
new recruit's name—Anna O. Szust—translates as "Anna, a fraud" in
Polish.
Despite
this inside joke, the probe of academic integrity at hundreds of science
journals—some reputed, others already on a blacklist—was dead serious.
"Although
pranksters have successfully placed fictional characters on editorial boards,
no one has examined the issue systematically," Pisanski noted.
"We
did."
Pisanski
and three colleagues concocted the fake application—supported by a cover letter,
a CV boasting phony degrees, and a list of non-existent book chapters—and sent
it to 360 peer-reviewed social science publications.
In
the peer-review process, journals ask outside experts to assess the methodology
and importance of submissions before accepting then.
Predatory
journals
The
journals were drawn equally from three directories: one listing reputable
titles available through subscriptions, with a second devoted to "open
access" publications.
The
third was a blacklist—compiled by University of Colorado librarian Jeffrey
Beall—of known or suspected "predatory journals" that make money by
extracting fees from authors.
The
number of these highly dubious publications has exploded in recent years,
number at least 10,000.
Indeed,
40 of the 48 journals that took the bait and offered a position to the
fictitious Anna O. figured on Beall's list, which has since been taken offline.
The
other eight were from the open-access registry.
No
one made any attempt to contact the university listed on the fake CV, and few
probed her obviously spotty experience.
One
journal suggested "Ms. Fraud" organise a conference after which
presenters would be charged for a special issue.
"Predatory
publishing is becoming an organised industry," said Pisanski, who decided
not to name-and-shame the journals caught out by the sting.
Their
rise "threatens the quality of scholarship," she added.
Even
after the researchers contacted all the journals to inform them that Anna O. Szust
did not really exist, her name continued to appear on the editorial board of
11—including one to which she had not even applied.
None
of the journals from the most select directory fell in the trap, and a few sent
back tartly worded answers.
"One
does not become an editor by sending in a CV," came one reply.
"These
positions are filled because a person has a high research profile and a solid
research record."
Regards
Pralhad
Jadhav
Senior
Manager @ Knowledge Repository
Khaitan & Co
Upcoming Event | MANLIBNET 17th Annual
International Conference on 15-16 September 2017 at Jaipuria, Noida, India
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