The Pulsus Group Is an OMICS Company

The Pulsus Group of journals were sold to OMICS in 2016. The domain cmesocietyconferences.com, which Pulsus used in the email to me is registered to Srinubabu Gedela, CEO and founder of the OMICS Group. Incredibly, the email denies that it is a promotional message and refers to my "eminence in the field" of osteoporosis.The the email promises to publish all abstracts from a conference on osteoporosis in a journal.on trauma surgery.

Email

From: Osteoporosis Congress 2017 (osteoporosis@cmesocietymeeting.org)
Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2017 1:49 AM
Re: Gentle Reminder: Abstract submission | Osteoporosis Congress
Dear Colleague, We take the pleasure of inviting you to attend and present at the Eleventh International Conference on Osteoporosis, Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Disorders which is slated to hold from December 4-5, 2017 in Madrid, Spain. The purpose of this 2-day conference is to bring together physicians and researchers from around the world who are interested in exploring the link between Osteoporosis, Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Disorders with a broad theme Osteoporosis and Musculoskeletal Disorders as the primary health concern. The conference will focus on topics such as Juvenile Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Orthopedic Surgeries, Musculoskeletal Regenerative Medicine, Orthopedic Nursing and many other important topics. The conference is hosted by Pulsus Group which is an ardent supporter of international medical research, and publishes 50+ journals in association with 20+ International medical and scientific societies. All the accepted abstracts will be published in the conference proceedings and in the special edition of JOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDICS TRAUMA SURGERY AND RELATED RESEARCH with ISSN: 1897-2276 and e-ISSN: 2449-9145. ...
We believe this congress will be a highly rewarding educational and networking experience for all. To know more about the congress and like to submit your abstract or registrations please visit our Osteoporosis Conferences Website ... Thank you for reading, and we very much look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely Yours,
Dwane Harrison | Program Director, Osteoporosis Congress 2017, PULSUS Medical Meetings, 40 Bloomsbury Way, Lower Ground Floor, London United Kingdom WC1A 2SE Ph.: +44-203-769-1765, Customer Service: 0-800 014 8923 (Toll-free)
Disclaimer: This is not a promotional message, and has been sent to you because of your eminence in the field. If, however, you do not want to receive any email in future from Osteoporosis 2017 then reply us with the subject “remove /unsubscribe”. We concern for your privacy.

Where In the World Is ... Academia Publishing (AP)?

Academia Publishing's About Us web page (8/30/17) begins with a 50-word sentence that boils down to "Academia Publishing  ... includes broad interest titles through the publication of online quality scholarly journals." The page assures readers that

Academia Publishing are using the best available technology ... All articles ... are assign with a DOI number ... Academia Publishing production offers the gold standard in article production, assuring authors of a consistently high quality service across all areas. We are accredited to provide standardized framework for the processes by which high-quality products are created and service given, to the satisfaction of all customers. Academia Publishing aims to demonstrate to societies, editors, authors, and students that there is a robust methodology in place for the management of quality in relation to its operational processes.

Twelve journals are listed on the website (8/30/17) -- a smll number compared to some of the other flaky publishers. The agricultural journal spammed me although my knowledge of agriculture is limited to eating. The email promises that "The editorial board will re-review manuscripts that are accepted pending revision." This will be no mean feat, since the journal lists no editorial board.

The people behind Academia Publishing are not in plain view. The domain academiapublishing.org was registered in 2012 to Contact Privacy Inc. Customer 0135138784, 96 Mowat Ave, Toronto, Canada.The "North America" address on the Contact Us page is the undeliverable "10005, Wall Street, New York, USA." The number is not a location on Wall Street. It is a zip code for hundreds or thousands of addresses.

Email

From: journals.academiapublishing@gmail.com
Sent: Monday, August 28, 2017 5:20 PM
To: journals.academiapublishing@gmail.com
Cc: journals.academiapublishing@gmail.com
Subject: call for paper
We invite you to submit your manuscript(s) for publication. Our objective is to inform authors of the decision on their manuscript(s) within four weeks of submission. Following acceptance, a paper will normally be published in the next issue.
Academia Journal of Agricultural Research (AJAR) is an International High Ranking, open access journal that publishes high-quality articles, in English, in all areas of agricultural science. The journal is covered by CABI, CAB ABSTRACTS in partnership with Thomson Reuters ISI Web of Science.  AJAR is archived in Institutional Library of University of Glasgow, University of Cambridge, University of California, University of Kentucky, University of Edinburgh, University of Groningen - Netherlands, University of Texas,  Ghent University - Belgium, Colorado State University, University of Saskatchewan, University of Oregon, The University of Georgia, University of Southern California, Cornell University, The University of Western Australia and more.
Publication and peer-review process: All manuscripts are reviewed by the Editorial Board and qualified reviewers. Decisions will be made as rapidly as possible, and the journal strives to return reviewers' comments to authors within 2 weeks. The editorial board will re-review manuscripts that are accepted pending revision. All accepted articles will be published online immediately after proof reading and formatting process.
All articles published in AJAR are peer-reviewed. ...
Best regards,
Prof. Jude A, Editor,ajar.academiapublishing@gmail.com
North America: Academia Publishing House, 10005, Wall Street, New York, USA, Tel:  +1 (530) 341-3920, Fax: +1 (877) 289-3847
Europe: Academia Publishing House, King Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, LS1 2HQ 35 094, UK, Tel:  +44 (7087) 626-473, Fax: +44 (8435) 594-498

Avens Journal of Forensic Investigation Checks for Genuinity

The Avens Publishing Group (discussed in a separate posting) is another flaky online publisher pretending (or striving) to be "a vast database of journals." Unlike many of its competitors in India, it solicited me to buy space in a journal on a subject that I do know something about. This Journal of Forensic Investigation is interested in "science and technology elevating the facts, ensuring social justice and well being." The website (8/25/17) explains that

Once a manuscript is submitted, it is assigned to one of our Eminent Editorial Board members to check the genuinity, novelty and quality of research. The manuscript is evaluated by the respective editor within two days of submission. If the manuscript meets the standards of Avens, further proceeding of the manuscript is carried out. The status of acceptance/rejection will be intimated by the editorial office.

Leading the "Eminent Editorial Board" as editor-in-chief is "Dr. Robert W. Allen, Head of the School of Forensic Sciences, Oklahoma State University, USA." Dr. Allen, whose name appears on the boards of other flaky journals, oversees a huge editorial board, A partial list follows. An asterisk by the name indicates that the individual is busy editing other journals of this ilk as well (if their lists of members are to be believed).

⊛ Dr. Henry C. Lee, the Director of Forensic Research and Training Center & Distinguished Chair Professor in Forensic Science of University of New Haven, USA.
○ Dr. Frederic Zenhausern, a Professor and Director of the Center for Applied Nanobioscience and Medicine at the University of Arizona, College of Medicine at Phoenix, USA
○ Dr. Marcus Rogers, a Professor of Cyber Forensics, University Faculty Scholar and Fellow of the Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security at Purdue University, USA
⊛ Dr. John Zheng Wang, a Professor of Criminal Justice and Forensic Science and Director of Applied Forensic Science, Crime Analysis and High Tech Crime Investigation certificate programs, California State University-Long Beach, USA.
○ Dr. Greg Hampikian, Professor of Biology, and Criminal Justice at Boise State University (BSU), USA.
○ Dr. Alejandro Del Carmen, a Professor and Chair of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Texas, USA
○ Dr. Richard C. Li, an Associate Professor of Forensic Biology of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, USA
⊛ Dr. Jianye Ge, the Algorithm Leader in the Human Identification Division of Life Technologies
⊛ Dr. Alja Videtič Pask, a biochemist with PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology and with 10 years of experience in genetics and epigenetics of psychiatric disorders, ... [no affiliation given]

JFI itself list two special issues: Use of DNA Technology in Forensic Dentistry, edited by "Dr. Lori Baker, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Baylor University, USA," and Forensic Medicine and Pathology, edited by "Dr. Long Jin, Assistant Professor in Clinical Pathology, Louisiana State University Health Science Center, USA." No other information on these issues is present. They have no content. The Articles in Press link returns a blank page. Not a good sign of progress. The Current Issue (5:1) has three articles. A 2013 article labors to reach the conclusion that "understanding of practitioners can be enhanced through continued education at conferences, workshops and other training opportunities." Henry C. Lee & Elaine M. Pagliaro, Forensic Evidence and Crime Scene Investigation, J Forensic Investigation 1(1): 5 (2013).

Email

From: editor.jfi@avenspublishers.com [mailto:editor.jfi@avenspublishers.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 24, 2017 10:01 AM
Subject: Submit your next Article in: Forensic
Dear Dr. David H Kaye,
On behalf of Editors of our JFI, we would like to invite you to make your contribution in the upcoming Summer issue of our journal to spread your research and to disseminate knowledge to the global scientific community by the means of Avens Publishing Group. Journal of Forensic Investigation is an international standard scholarly peer-reviewed journal which means that your paper is available to anyone in the world to download for free directly from our website. It encompasses fostering and enhancing research focuses mainly on forensic medicine, genetics, criminal justice, forensic investigation technology, molecular validation of unknown and controversial relationships, legal proceedings and medical ethics. ...
Submission deadline: 30th September 2017, Issue release date: 25th October 2017
• For Article Processing & Publishing Charges please follow the link below:http://www.avensonline.org/processing-fee/
• All articles are peer-reviewed by our Editorial experts.
• Articles that are found to have been plagiarized or duplicated will be rejected immediately.
If you wish to submit a paper for possible publication in this issue, please contact us and we would be delighted to hear from you.
With regards, Faustina, Managing Editor, Journal of Forensic Investigation, Avens Publishing Group, 47 Hemlock Dr, Northborough MA 01532 USA.

Avens Publishing Group Is "Alive to the Rapidly Growing Research"

Avens Publishing Group looks like another spammer pretending to have a US office. According to Zillow (8/24/17) and other websites, its US address (47 Hemlock Dr, Northborough, MA 01532) is that of a home for sale "in desirable Hemlock Estates" that features a "[m]aple kitchen with center island, granite counters, stainless steel appliances."

The domains avenspublishing.com and avensonline.org are some of a long list registered by

Ashwin Kumar
plotno:505,jyothiraditya apartments,
srinagar colony,
Hyderabad
Andhra Pradesh 5000073 India
Phone: +91.9177734525

The site is hosted in India by Hostgator Asian Operations Division. The domain for the website was purchased through Go Daddy on May 8, 2014. It describes "a vision to encourage the existing scientists, experts and young scientists to enlighten the common society."Although "newly started," Avens' About Us page claims (8/25/17) a "vast database of journals"-- "46 international Open Access peer-reviewed journals with our aim of Inviting Innovations." But this aim, not to mention the enlightment of conmon society, cannot be achieved costlessly. Avens is "seeking for the support from individuals, institutes, libraries, universities, funding agencies, and others" by asking for "a fair price" (that depends on the country of origin).

A webpage on "collaborations" asserts that "over 1400 experts from Industry and Academia provide editorial support to our journals." Moreover, "[w]e, the team at Avens Publishing Group, are alive to the rapidly growing research and believe in developing mutually beneficial relationships to share our good will with other academic institutions, research organization, scientific international ssociations and societies." Alas, this feeling does not seem to be mutual; no such relationships are listed.

The journal that contacted me with regards from "Faustina, Managing Editor" is the Journal of Forensic Investigation. Promising to meet Avens rigorous peer review and publication standards in less than a month, this journal is discussed here.

Norcal Open Access Is "Here to Become the Language of Modern Science"

The About Us page (8/23/17) claims that

NorCal Open Access Publications is an international open access journals publisher based at California, United States of America. All our Journals follow peer review process and publish manuscripts on an open access platform. Our Journals fall in the scope of Medical, Clinical, Life sciences, Pharmaceutical and Engineering.
NorCal Open Access Publications strategy is to provide 24/7 access to the scientific data freely for all our readers across the planet and will guarantee scientific community that we provide high data availability in most updated digital formats.
Our main aim is to provide a solid platform for all the scholars around the globe to showcase their research work online. We are here to become the language of modern science and promise that we maintain a trustworthy relationship with the scientific community. We would like to be as a communicator between scientists and readers by disseminating research work on an online platform.

But it will hard to maintain "a trustworthy relationship" by hiding the identity and location of the individuals behind this website. The domain norcaloa.org was registered by GoDaddy's Domains By Proxy in Scottsdale, Arizona. The California connection is limited to a building in Santa Clara rented from Mindrome (and a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge is on the website). "Mindrome provides a shared, community-driven works and meetup for location-independent workers. ... Mindrome is a coworking space with shared desks, dedicated desks, private offices, meeting spaces and virtual office services." There is nothing like a "virtual office services" for firms that want to have a U.S. address without or without a physical presence in the U.S.

The journal that asked me for a paper (8/23/17) has no editorial board. The journals -- at the least the first five on which I clicked -- have no content, no editors, and no editorial boards. Norcaloa looks like an empty shell designed to collect money from gullible researchers who do not look inside.

Email

• From: forensicsciences@norcaloa.com (forensicsciences@norcaloa.com)
  Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2017 11:37 AM
  Subject: Call for Papers - Forensic Science Journal
  Greetings from Journal of Forensic Sciences and Digital Investigation! NorCal Open Access Publications is an open access organization that publishes journals from Clinical, Medical, Life sciences, Pharmaceutical sciences and Engineering fields. We follow double blind peer review process to publish research articles, review articles, mini reviews, case reports, short commentaries, brief reports, perspectives, etc. We are planning inaugural issue for the Journal of Forensic Sciences and Digital Investigation. We would like to invite you to submit your valuable research/review work as manuscript for the journal’s inaugural issue. You can submit your manuscript at: www.norcaloa.org Kindly let us know your opinion to submit the manuscript, so that we can discuss further. Your contribution and support can help us to serve the scientific community in a better way. I will be happy to assist you for any further queries. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you in advance and have a great day.
  Regards, Gilly Flaherty, NorCal Open Access Publications, 4701 Patrick Henry Drive, Bldg. 22, Suite 133, Santa Clara, CA 95054, USA, Telephone: +1-408-609-3061, Email: contact@norcaloa.org
• From: forensicsciences@norcaloa.com [mailto:forensicsciences@norcaloa.com]
  Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2017 9:01 AM
  Subject: Follow Up Call for Papers - Forensic Science Journal
  Dear Dr. David Kaye, Hope this mail finds you in good shape! We are writing this mail to remind you regarding call for paper invitation for the Journal of Forensic Sciences and Digital Investigation. We are planning to launch inaugural issue for Journal of Forensic Sciences and Digital Investigation. We would like to invite you to submit your valuable research/review work as manuscripts for the journal’s inaugural issue. You can submit your manuscript at: www.norcaloa.com Kindly let us know your opinion to submit the manuscript, so that we can proceed further. We hope to receive positive response from your end. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks and have a great day Doctor,
  Regards, Gilly Flaherty, NorCal Open Access Publications, 900, Lafayette Street, Suite 407, Santa Clara, CA 95050, USA, Telephone: +1-408-609-3061, E-mail: contact@norcaloa.org

Austin Publishing Group

Austin Publishing Group sports an unbelievable number of journals, from the Austin Journal of Allergy to the Annals of Yoga and Physical Therapy. How real they all are is a question I do not have the time the answer. Some Austin journals have had a prankster's dog on their editorial boards. A few of the questionable aspects of the Austin Journal of Forensic Science and Criminology are noted in another posting. I also took a look at Austin Statistics. It has only one issue with just three articles. One is a page about the journal itself, which begins, "It's a real privilege and high honor for me to write for the Inaugural issue of Austin Statistics. The publication of Austin Statistics is indeed welcomed news! I also wish to extend my congratulations to the Austin Publishing Group and the Editor for assembling a diverse group of talented professionals to serve on the editorial board of the journal." 1/ If the journal has an editor, it prefers to keep his or her identity a secret. This slim ouvre of June 27, 2014, continues to be the "current issue" (8/23/17) on the website.

In addition to these telltale signs, Austin Publishing Group made it onto Beall's list of predatory journals and has been the subject of complaints for its spam. It is not obvious who is behind this enterprise. The domain austinpublishinggroup.com is registered to www.crazydomains.com. To hide the actual registrant, Crazy Domains named the registrant as "Domain Administrator." Perhaps more revealing is the address -- Level 4 Dynasty, A Wing, Andheri-kurla Road, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400069, India, +64.800128128.

Subverting Peer Review at Reputable Journals

"[M]assive peer-review fraud" prompted "disciplinary action" from the Chinese government against "more than 400 researchers listed as authors on some 100 now-retracted papers." In "an all-too-common scam," the "Chinese authors suggested 'experts'" to a Springer journal, Tumor Biology, that allowed authors to propose reviewers. The authors "provided email addresses that routed messages from the journal back to the researchers themselves, or to accomplices—sometimes third-party firms hired by the authors—who wrote glowing reviews ... ."

"Overall, 80 of the papers reported actual research results, investigators found. But nine were fraudulent, and 12 of the papers had been purchased outright from third parties by the supposed authors. The remaining six papers have various other problems or are still under investigation."

The journal itself does not garner much praise. "Tumor Biology, which is owned by the International Society of Oncology and BioMarkers, has a history of problems. In 2016 it retracted 25 papers all at once for similar peer-review problems. ... An investigation by ScienceInsider found that several scientists listed on its editorial board had no relationship with the journal and one had even passed away several years ago."

"SAGE took over responsibility for publishing the journal 'with the agreement that there would be a complete overhaul of the editorial structure and peer review practices of the journal, specifically the use of preferred reviewers,' a SAGE spokesperson wrote in an email to ScienceInsider.

Reference

Dennis Normile, China Cracks Down After Investigation Finds Massive Peer-review Fraud, Science, Jul. 31, 2017 , 2:30 PM; Dennis Normile, China crack down on Fraud, 357 Science 435 ( 2017) DOI: 10.1126/science.357.6350.435