Monday, February 7, 2022

Advice for an Author Threatened by Hilaris SRL

Today I received the following email:

Sent: Monday, February 7, 2022 1:33 PM
Subject: Hilaris Publisher offers suggestions for improvisations
Dear Professor,
I hope my email finds you well
Professor, recently the journal Hillaris has contacted me asking me to pay almost $1000 for publishing my article, which I send to them in 2018. even when told them don't because I can't pay.
Professor, they publish it without my signing a copyright agreement.
Honestly, I am from a north African nation $1000 is almost 3 months' wage payment.
Profesor, they are threatening me and others according to your article in the blog with legal charges?
can you help me, by telling me what to do?
Thank you for your support
best regards

Any advice? If so, please post it (anonymously or otherwise) as a comment below. More information on the publisher is available through the search bar or the label widget on the right.

Saturday, January 29, 2022

Elvira Press for Publishing Anything Academic on Demand

Elvira Press describes itself as an acad4emic press that will publish anything academic on demand: " We are interested to publish academic papers. We publish bachelor’s and master’s theses, doctoral dissertations, edited volumes, professional books, research monographs, lecture notes, textbooks, collection of papers, proceedings." Moreover, "you may publish with different publisher. It is recommended to provide references on Eliva Press book." Don't ask me what bthat means. Elvira's address, which does not appear on the spam, is Bulevardul Moscova 21, of 805, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, Europe.

Its list of reviewers begins with "Prof. Edward L. Rubin, University Professor of Law and Political Science at Vanderbilt University." In contrast, another reviewer has no reported affiliation. He is "Gerhard Lechner ... an independent scientist [who] studied philosophy (PhD) and economics and worked in practice in the banking and insurance sector" after writing his dissertation on "Transcendence and Immanence of God in the works of Giordano Bruno" at an unnamed university. An FAQ reveals that this review is not a normal part of the publishing process of this academic press. It explains that "Yes, we do provide peer review as a premium optional paid service."

Email
  • From: Olga Sabazova [olga.sabazova@elivapress.com]
    Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2022 1:01 AM
             Friday, January 28, 2022 1:00 AM
    Subject: Reminder - your paper - D. H. Kaye
    Dear D. H. Kaye,
    I hope you’re having a great day.
    Last week, I contacted you about publishing your research papers in book form.
    I was wondering if you have had a chance to look at my previous email?
    Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
    --
    Sincere regards,
    Olga Sabazova
    Editor
  • From: Olga Sabazova [olga.sabazova@elivapress.com]
    Sent: Monday, January 17, 2022 4:07 AM
    Subject: Author - D. H. Kaye
    Dear Dr. D. H. Kaye,
    My name is Olga Sabazova and I am editor at Eliva Press. I went through your list of recent publications and it is impressive. We are interested in publishing a book of your works, including this paper: "How Daubert and Its Progeny Have Failed Criminalistics Evidence and a Few Things the Judiciary Could Do About It".
    We specialize in publication and dissemination of academic books. The publication is free for our authors. You will retain copyrights and earn up to 50% royalties. In addition, the book will be distributed through Amazon, Lightning Source, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository and many more.
    Do you want to find more about our services and publishing agreement?
    Your reply would be greatly appreciated.
    --
    Sincere regards,
    Olga Sabazova
    Editor

Thursday, January 27, 2022

Where in the World is the American Journal of Biomedical Science & Research?

The American Journal of Biomedical Science & Research operates out of virtual office space in California. According to SciLit, it comprises the entire portfolio of the publisher, BiomedGrid LLC.  The domain name biomedgrid.com is registered to the Canadian company, Privacy Inc. The server seems to be in Singapore.The National Library of Medicine reports that the journal is not indexed in MEDLINE and that BiomedGrid is in Rancho Cucamonga, California.

Somehow BiomedGrid provides "rigorous peer review" "in 15days [sic] or less, without compromising the quality of the peer review process." If you have been spammed, keep in mind that "since we have invited you for submission, reasonable discounts will be provided depending upon the quality of the manuscript."

Email
  • From: American Journal of Biomedical Science and Research [nanomedicine@biomedgrid.org]
    Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2022 5:09 PM
    Subject: Hopeful Response
    Dear Dr. Dh Kaye,
    Hope you are doing well.
    We are in shortfall of articles for successful release of Volume 15 Issue 3. Is it possible for you to support us with your 2-page opinion or mini review for this issue?
    We are confident that you are always will be there to support us.
    Await your positive response.
    Regards,
    Catherine Nichols
    American Journal of Biomedical Science & Research| ISSN: 2642-1747
    Note: We accept eBooks, Video articles & provide reprints also.
    333 city Boulevard West, 17th Floor, Orange, California, 92868, USA
    If you wish to not receive our mails, please mail us

Saturday, January 1, 2022

SCIRP's Open Journal of Statistics

Scientific Research Publishing Inc. (SCIRP) has a well established reputation -- as a predatory publisher. SCIRP journals have spammed me "as one of the top experts in the field" -- in fields in which I have no degrees, no publications, and no other presence. Although I have published in statistics journals, I doubt that the spam from its Open Journal of Statistics is based on any knowledge of the field.

The journal's understanding of the subject of experimental design is this:

Experimental design can be used at the point of the greatest leverage to reduce design costs by speeding up the design process, reducing late engineering design changes, and reducing product material and labor complexity. Designed Experiments are also powerful tools to achieve manufacturing cost savings by minimizing process variation and reducing rework, scrap, and the need for inspection.
Among the members of the editorial board listed on the website (28 Jan 2017) were
Prof. Qihua Wang, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China (Editor-in-Chief)
Prof. Junsoo Lee, University of Alabama
Prof. Tae-Hwy Lee, University of California, Riverside
Prof. Gengsheng Qin, Georgia State University
Prof. Kalyan Raman, Northwestern University
Prof. Sunil K. Sapra, California State University, Los Angeles
Prof. Siva Sivaganesan, University of Cincinnati
Prof. Jianguo Sun, University of Missouri
Dr. Florin Vaida, University of California, San Diego
Dr. Haiyan Wang, Kansas State University
Dr. Peng Zeng, Auburn University
Prof. Yichuan Zhao, Georgia State University
EMAIL
  • From: Open Journal of Statistics [ojs@swaraing.com]
    Sent: Jan 27, 2017
             Mar 26, 2017
             April 9, 2017
    Subject: More Citations & Rapid Publication - Special Issue on "Design of experiments"
    Open Journal of Statistics (OJS, 2161-7198) is seeking papers for the upcoming special issue on "Design of experiments". We would like to invite you to submit papers to this issue through our Paper Submission System. ...
    Best regards,
    Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Qihua Wang (Chinese Academy of Sciences, China), OJS Editorial Office, E-mail: ojs@scirp.org, Principal Place of Business: Building 5, Headquarters Space of Optical Valley, Tangxun Lake North Road #38, East Lake High-Tech Development Zone, Wuhan 430223, Hubei Province, China. For ease of communication: Scientific Research Publishing Inc., P. O. BOX 54821, Irvine CA 92619-4821, USA.