Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Al-Nahda and Al-Sham Post Publishing House

Five emails from the same journal of the Al-Nahda Publishing House graced my inboxes today. They came from "Editor of JOAAABR" in Palestine -- no individual name or address. Facebook lists Al Nahda Publishing House as a local business in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A whois lookup shows the joaaabr.com domain's primary IP address is 160.153.129.26. Established in November 2017, it is registered only to GoDaddy.com.

The email promises "very fast, highly rigorous" peer-review -- "it takes just three weeks." At the moment (2/11/18), however, the only article on the newly launched journal's website is "Evolving of Selected Integrated Reporting Capitals among Listed Bahraini Banks." There is a named editor and editorial board (mostly assistant professors).

More spam (4/29/18) indicates that the publisher's name has changed to "Al-Sham Post Publishing (AAP)." Still no individuals and no website for the publisher. However, there are now five articles in Issue 1.
Email
  • From: Call for papers [editor@joaaabr.com]
    Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2018 3:58 AM [and Mar. 3 (three of them), Mar. 4, and Mar. 14 (six more)]
    Subject: Call for paper
    Dear Colleague, Journal of Accounting and Applied Business Research (JOAAABR) publishes research in accounting, finance and management with a special emphasis given to the interaction between these areas of research in an international context and in either the private or public sectors. Aiming to bridge the knowledge gap between researchers and professionals who are conducting research, the journal covers issues arising in ... Management, Marketing, Finance, Other. ...
    We kindly use this opportunity to welcome and invite you to submit your manuscript(s) for publication in the March 2018 Edition, (Volume 1, Number 1) and request that you disseminate these information to Fellow Colleagues, Scholars, and Researchers. Our peer-review is very fast, highly rigorous and it takes just three weeks, and authors are carried along adequately in all the publication processes. Submission must be well researched, informed and demonstrate familiarity with the relevant literature, concept and theoretical perspective in the study. Following acceptance, a paper will be published in the issue of that month. ...
    Note: there is no submission or publication fee.
    Best regards,
    Editor of JOAAABR, Al-Nahda Publishing House, Palestine, joaaabr@hotmail.com, editor@joaaabr.com
  • From: Al-Nahda Publishing House (editor@joaaabr.com)
    Sent: Wed 3/28/2018 7:25 AM (5 of them starting at 7:17 am) and again Sat 3/31/18 (5 of them starting at 6:00 AM)
    Subject: Journal of Accounting and Applied Business Research
    Dear Colleague,
    Journal of Accounting and Applied Business Research (JOAAABR) publishes research in Accounting, Finance and Management with a special emphasis given to the interaction between these areas of research in an international context and in either the private or public sectors. Aiming to bridge the knowledge gap between researchers and professionals who are conducting research, the journal covers issues arising in:
    Journal of Accounting and Applied Business Research (JOAAABR) has been indexed by Open J-Gate, Academickeys, Journalseek, Drji, Researchbib, Citefactor, Google Scholar.
    We kindly use this opportunity to welcome and invite you to submit your manuscript(s) for publication in the April, 2018 Edition, (Volume 1, Number 2) and request that you disseminate these information to Fellow Colleagues, Scholars, and Researchers. Note: there is no submission or publication fee.
    Best regards,
    Editor of JOAAABR. Al-Nahda Publishing House, Palestine, editor@joaaabr.com, www.joaaabr.com
  • From: Al-Sham Post Publishing (APP) [editor@jaaabr.com]
    Sent: Sun 4/29/2018 4:10 AM [two of them] and Thursday 4/26/18 [three of them starting at 4:44 AM]
    Subject: Journal of Accounting and Applied Business Research
    [Same text for Volume 1, Number 2, with April changed to May]
    Best regards,
    Editor of JAAABR.
    Al-Sham Post Publishing (AAP)
  • From: JAAABR Journal (joaaabr@hotmail.com)
    Sent: 5/26/18 at 3:14 PM and at 4:04 PM
    Subject: Publish with DOI
    Dear Colleague,
    Journal of Accounting and Applied Business Research (JAAABR) (ISSN:2616-7751) publishes research in Accounting, Finance and Management with a special emphasis given to the interaction between these areas of research in an international context and in either the private or public sectors. Aiming to bridge the knowledge gap between researchers and professionals who are conducting research, the journal covers issues arising in: Journal of Accounting and Applied Business Research (JAAABR) has been indexed by Open J-Gate, Academickeys, Journalseek, Drji, Researchbib, Citefactor, Google Scholar. JAAABR publushies the accepted papers with DOI.
    We kindly use this opportunity to welcome and invite you to submit your manuscript(s) for publication in the June, 2018 Edition, (Volume 1, Number 3) and request that you disseminate these information to Fellow Colleagues, Scholars, and Researchers. ...
    Best regards,
    Editor of JAAABR.
    Al-Sham Post Publishing (AAP), editor@jaaabr.com

Friday, February 2, 2018

OMICS' Domains

In addition to the obvious three -- omicsgroup.org, omicsonline.com, and omicsonline.org -- as of January 2018, the following domains are associated with OMICS
⊗ alliedacademies.org
⊗ biomedconferences.org (as of 2/18/19)
⊗ conferenceseries.com
⊗ conferenceseries.net
⊗ euroscicon.com, euroscicononline.org
⊗ global-summit.com
⊗ imedpub.com
⊗ lifescienceevents.com
    ⊗ openaccessjournals.com
⊗ pulsus.com
⊗ pharmaceuticalconferences.com
⊗ rroij.com
⊗ scholarsresearchlibrary.com
⊗ scitechnol.com
⊗ tsijournals.com
OMICS also is using the following domains to send emails (8/2/18):
⊙ annualconferences.org
⊙ conferenceeurope.com
⊙ conferenceint.com
    ⊙ conferencesglobal.org
⊙ lupinepublishers.org (as of 2/18/19)
⊙ meettheglobalexpert.com
Finally, the following domains are registered (3/22/18) to OMICS' founder, Srinubabu Gedela or OMICS:
⊗ biotechnologycongress.com
⊗ conferencesamerica.org
⊗ metabolomicsconference.com
⊗ meetingsint.com
⊗ nutritionalconference.com
    ⊗ oceanographyconference.com
⊗ omicsgroupconferences.com
⊗ scientificmeet.com
⊗ srinubabu.com
The last site states (3/22/18) that "Dr Gedela is a serial entrepreneur and a scientist [with a] Post Doctorate from Stanford University." It explains further that
As part of expansion Omics International Pvt Ltd acquired several small and medium size companies in publishing and events sector. These companies are majorly from Europe, Canada and United States and ru. Today, Omics International Pvt Ltd is an ever expanding publishing group ....
There's no disputing that. At least, not majorly.

For other reports of Omics brand names, see the comments to this posting and Graham Readfearn, All those OMICS linked companies in one place, Jan. 12, 2018.

Thursday, February 1, 2018

An Alert About Science Alert

Science Alert (sciencealert.com) and Science Alert (scialert.net and scialert.com) are not the same! This posting is about spam from the latter outfit, which was on Beall's list. The domains are registered to Instra Corporation Pty, Ltd., whose unedifying contact information is Domain Manager,Cloud308, PO Box q126208, Dubai 126208, +971.562218164, inbox388@hotmail.com.

The home page of this brand of Science Alert states (2/1/18) that "Our business is to manage the knowledge and disseminate the new discoveries globally. Science Alert publishes close to 150 academic and professional journals." But it is hard not to be suspicious of journals with names like "American Journal of Food Technology" (the first on the publisher's list) --especially when the address for Science Alert (on the contact form) is
Office Number 112, Al Noor Building, Near Bassam Center, P.O. Box 126208, Deira, Dubai, UAE.
There is no address for the "American Journal." The editor-in-chief is Dr. Om Prakash Chauhan. No editorial board is listed, but an unrelated journal has an editor with this name and an address of "Scientist ‘E’, Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL), Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Siddarthanagar, Mysore, India." It could be that the only American thing about the journal is its name. A journal by the same name comes from another flaky-looking publisher, Science and Education publishing (SciEP). Science Alert's American Journal is said to be published by "Academic Journals Inc., USA."

UPDATES
2/23/19, 2/24/19, 8/23/19: Emails originated from IP address 198.1.69.26, which is used by medwelljournals.com, medwellpublications.com, and scialert.net. Medwell Publications' contact information is Office No 19, Abdullah Khamber Building, Al Rega, 00971 50 134 7030, medwellonline@gmail.com, P. O. Box 114537, Dubai, UAE.
Email
Spamming for Contributions to Any Journal
  • From: Science Alert [support@scialert.com]
    Date: 9/30/18, 1/27/19, 4/25/19
    Subject: Why publish with Science Alert
    Explore the advantges of publishing in a Science Alert Journals
    Number ONE reason to consider Science Alert for publication of your quality research is High quality and fast publication. [← if you do not care about editing for capitalization, spelling, and word usage.]
    Known for rigorous, fair peer review and fast publication times, our journals publish the best science, from original research articles to authoritative reviews.
    From submission to peer review to publication, fellow scientists will take you through our publishing process. Their experience helps to ensure that your work becomes available rapidly in journals that provide high quality context for your research.
    Submit your best research work for publication in one of the suitable Science Alert Journals. Want to learn more about our journals Please visit ... .
    Regard
    Science Alert Team
    You are receiving this email because you subscribed to Science Alert Newsletter. [← LOL] Click here to change your subscription. [← Or to confirm that they have a valid email address for spam?]
  • From: Science Alert [support@scialert.com]
    Sent: Thursday, April 2, 2020, 5:19:46 PM EDT
    Subject: Announcing the Launch of our New Website
    ANSInet - Announcing the Launch of New Website
    Visit Now! We are excited to announce that one of our partner publisher launched a newly designed website.
    Asian Network for Scientific Information is a leading ePublishing platform, that provides digital content development and hosting services to scholarly publishers, societies, associations, and university presses to facilitate the digital dissemination of academic journals, books, reference works, and proceedings. Asian Network for Scientific Information provides outstanding technology and support services to the global academic community to promote open scholarly research to the world.
    Go ahead and explore. We hope you like the changes. If you have feedback, please use the “Leave a Reply”.
Spamming for "Peer Review Panel"
  • From: Science Alert [support@scialert.com]
    Date: Saturday, 14 July 2018, 3:15:17 AM EDT
    Subject: Call for Reviewers
    Science Alert is currently recruiting individuals to carry out a double blind peer review. As a platform for global academic communication, the quality of the journal has always an aspect attracting much of our attention. To ensure quality of our publication and to better serve the peers in academic circle, we now call for reviewers among professionals and experts of the world. If you are interested in joining the peer review panel, please send a copy of your CV with a complete list of publications to Manchi Fung (Ms) at support@scialert.com
    Regard
    M. Imran Pasha
    Publication Manager
    https://scialert.net
    You are receiving this email because you subscribed to Science Alert Newsletter. [← LOL.] Click here to change your subscription.
  • From: Science Alert [support@scialert.com]
    Date: 23 Aug 2019 8:49 AM
    Subject: Become a Reviewer
    It's a great pleasure for us to inform you that American Journal of Drug Discovery and Development invites high profile scientists to become the reviewer.
    American Journal of Drug Discovery and Development is an international peer-reviewed scientific journal dedicated to publishing rapid scientific developments in drug discovery and associated technologies.
    It is requested to please recommend most suitable scientist who can join this journal as Reviewer.
    Self nominations are also welcome. In case of self nomination, please send your CV with a complete list of publications for our record. Further information about the American Journal of Drug Discovery and Development is available at ... .
    Regard
    Sabeen SAHER
    Academic Editor
Asian Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances
  • From: Science Alert [support@scialert.com]
    Sent: Apr 29 at 8:58 AM
    Subject: Asian Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances
    Asian Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances (AJAVA) is a high-quality peer-reviewed well indexed scientific journal publishing original research findings on all aspects of animal and veterinary sciences.
    AJAVA is now accepting new submissions for publication in the coming issues. All submitted manuscripts undergo a thorough peer review process. Experts from a broad range of fields, evaluates the technical quality and completeness of each paper. Fast review turnaround and rapid publication of papers ensures that authors are able to publish their good conducted research work in a timely manner.
    Please visit the journal’s website for further information. Submit your next best paper for publication in Asian Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances via the only submission system ...
    Regard
    M. Imran Pasha
    Publication Manager
    Asian Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances
International Journal of Pharmacology (IJP)
  • From: Science Alert [support@scialert.com]
    Sent: Jan. 25, 2018, 7:34:43 AM EST
              Feb. 28, 2018, at 6:53 PM
    Subject: Call for Papers
    International Journal of Pharmacology (IJP) is an internationally recognized Journal, contains peer-review material and provides broad coverage of entire field of pharmacology [emphasis in original]. The journal publishes full-length papers, short reviews (not exceeding 12 pages) and perspectives (by invitation only), intended to debate recent advances in rapidly developing fields.
    International Journal of Pharmacology currently indexed in Scopus, ASCI Database and Science Citation Index (Exp). International Journal of Pharmacology now accepting new submissions. Submit your best paper via online submission system at http://scialert.com ...
    Regard
    M. Imran Pasha
    Publication Manager
    © Science Alert. All Rights Reserved [← They copyright their email?]
  • From: Science Alert [support@scialert.com]
    Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2020, 11:31:39 AM EST
              Friday, February 19, 2021 at 10:41 AM
    Subject: International Journal of Pharmacology
    Dear David H. Kaye
    International Journal of Pharmacology (IJP) is a broad-based journal giving leading international coverage of all aspects of pharmacology and toxicology. It publishes high quality original research and authoritative reviews. [← Even though it trawls for papers from people like me, who are not experts in pharmacology?] The journal [is?] published six times in a year, and is available online.
    International Journal of Pharmacology is indexed in Biological Abstracts | BIOSIS Previews | Science Citation Index Expanded | Essential Science Indicators of Clarivate Analytics| Google Scholar | ASCI Database and has recently been accepted for indexing in Asian Digital Library – Asia’s largest abstract and citation database of peer reviewed literature.
    For further information about the International Journal of Pharmacology, please visit the following link: ...
    Submit your best paper to International Journal of Pharmacology via online submission system at ... .
    Regard
    M. Imran Pasha
    Publication Manager
    Office Number 112, Al Noor Building, Near Bassam Center,
    P.O. Box 126208, Deira, Dubai, UAE
Journal of Biological Sciences
  • From: Science Alert [support@scialert.com]
    Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2019
    Subject: Journal of Biological Sciences
    Every journal depends upon its editor(s) and board for its success. We are seeking energetic professionals to join the Editorial Board of Journal of Biological Sciences (1727-3048). The Journal of Biological Sciences (JBS) is a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal published by Asian Network for Scientific Information. It publishes original articles, reviews, and short research communications in all areas of biological sciences.
    Would you please suggest an energetic scientist for the editorial board of the Journal of Biological Sciences. If you are also interested to join JBS as one of the Editorial board member, please send us your CV to consider your good name as Editorial Board Member.
    Regard
    M. Imran Pasha

    Publication Manager
    Journal of Biological Sciences
Journal of Environmental Science and Technology (JEST)
  • From: Science Alert [support@scialert.com]
    Date: Mar 29 at 7:47 AM
    Subject: JEST - Call for new Editorial Board Members
    Journal of Environmental Science and Technology (JEST) is a key platform for authors publishing their cutting-edge research in the broad field of research in environmental sciences. The journal aims at publishing top-level peer-reviewed academic papers. The Journal of Environmental Science and Technology is a widely cited journal for fast-breaking developments in the field and authoritative review articles. The journal has high readership and impact, and is indexed in various databases.
    The journal is now looking for new Editorial Board members in the field of environmental science and technology. The main role of a board member will be to act as an advocate of the journal and help advance submissions and reputation, as well as provide occasional help in the processing or reviewing of submissions. We will encourage you to proactively network and promote the journal, think creatively about new ways of attracting interest, and solicit content from colleagues where appropriate.
    More specifically, the responsibilities expected from a board member are:
    - to distribute the Call for Papers as widely as possible and to promote the journal whenever possible
    - to gain submissions
    - to consider submitting their own publications to the journal
    - to make suggestions on how to improve the journal
    - to carry out occasional peer review for the journal
    - to assist in locating suitable peer reviewers, if required
    - to let the editorial team know of conferences/events that could be used as journal promotion opportunities (especially relevant if they will be attending the event)
    - to provide editorial advice/opinion to the Editor in Chief on submissions, if required
    - to be available to contribute to a yearly editorial board review, should it be required
    - to help promote specific publications and press releases, if asked by the Editor in Chief
    We invite you to serve for 3 years in the first instance, subject to review. On behalf of the JEST, I would like to invite you to join the journal as one of the Editorial Board Member. If you are interested, please send your CV with complete list of publications via email at support@scialert.com. The deadline is 15 April 2019.
    Regard
    Liliana Patino
    Executive Managing Editor
    Journal of Environmental Science & Technology
Pakistan Journal of Biological Science
  • From: Science Alert [support@scialert.com]
    Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2019 21:37:29 +0000
    Subject: Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences
    Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences (PJBS) is a peer reviewed and well indexed international journal gets your work reviewed quickly, and publishes all sound science to an international audience.
    Currently Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, is indexed in Asian Digital Library, ASCI Database, IndexONE, and PubMed. [← PubMed is a searchable database of biomedical citations and abstracts, but the journal is part of MEDLINE (4/26/19). PubMed's largest source of citations. MEDLINE claims to.screen for quality.]
    PJBS calls for new submissions. Please submit your best original research papers for publication in the coming issues. For further information, please visit the journal’s website: ...
    Regard
    Prof. Hakan Ulukan [← identified in the webpage linked to the name in the email as a professor at Turkey's Ankara University "with the branch of Cereals and Edible Pulses Growing and Breeding"]
    Editor in Chief
    Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences
    You are receiving this email because you subscribed to Science Alert Newsletter. [← LOL] Click here to change your subscription.
Pharmacologia
  • From: Science Alert [support@scialert.com]
    Date: Apr 28, 2018 at 4:34 PM
    Subject: Submit your next paper to Pharmacologia
    Pharmacologia (ISSN 2044-4648) is an open access, peer-reviewed scientific journal. Pharmacologia covering all areas of autonomic, behavioral, cardiovascular, cellular, clinical, developmental, gastrointestinal, immuno-, neuro-, pulmonary, and renal pharmacology. Pharmacologia is open to all, publishing technically sound, original research papers of interest to specialists within their field, without barriers to access.
    All articles submitted before May 15, 2018 will be considered for publication without Article Processing Charges. Submit your next paper to Pharmacologia via online submission system ... . For further information about the journal, please visit ... .
    Regard
    M. Imran Pasha
    Publication Manager
    Science Alert
Trends in Applied Sciences Research
  • From: Science Alert [support@scialert.com]
    Date: Feb. 23, 2019, 8:30 AM
    Subject: Trends in Applied Sciences Research
    Trends in Applied Sciences Research (TASR) invites Review Articles, Systematic Reviews and Mini-Reviews for publication. TASR is a peer-reviewed and open access journal. Scope of the journal includs Applied Microbiology, Applied Psychology, Agricultural Engineering, Applied Aviation Sciences, Applied Ecology, Applied Nutrition, Applied Chemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, Bioengineering, Business and Economics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Science, Engineering, Finance, Food Science, Geology, Healthcare System, Linguistics, Mathematics and Statistics, Medicine and Architecture, Materials Science, Nanotechnology, Nanoscience, Natural and Technological Sciences, Physics, Social Sciences, and related disciplines.
    Please submit your review articles before March 10, 2019 for FREE publication via online submission system ... . Please let us know if you have any question
    Regard
    M. Imran Pasha
    Publication Manager
    You are receiving this email because you subscribed to Science Alert Newsletter. [← LOL]

Sunday, January 7, 2018

ECSAC: "The Most Recent Studies in Science and Art"

It looks like the organizers of a questionable academic conference are inviting everyone to pay for the privilege of having a "separate Chapter" in a book to be "hosted at libraries of world-famous prominent universities such as the British Library." The US editor is Robert Elliott, Department Head, Music Theory, String Bass, Tennessee State University.
Email
From: Book Chapter [mailto:info@ecsac2018.com]
Sent: Saturday, January 6, 2018 3:30 PM (also 1/8/2018)
Subject: Book Chapter
Dear Researcher,
We hereby invite you to participate in the international “The Most Recent Studies in Science and Art” in which original research and compilations of national and international researchers will be published.
With a multidisciplinary approach, and with the participation of many researchers from different disciplines (each study will be included in a separate Chapter), the book will be released in English, and include the most up-to-date research and developments in science and art.The book will be released by “Gece Kitaplığı Yayınevi” (Publishing House), which has covered the conditions of being “Recognized International Publishing House” (the publishing house must have run regular activities for at least five years at international level; must be included in the catalogues of universities well-known throughout the world; and the publishing house must also have published at least 20 books from different authors at international level) declared in the Associate Professor Application Conditions List for December 2016 by Presidency of Interuniversity Board (PIB) with an ISBN. The books of the publishing house are hosted at libraries of world-famous prominent universities such as British Library, the University of Chicago, University of Oxford; ... .
“Gece Kitaplığı Publishing” published the first book “Researches on Science and Art in 21st Century Turkey” that was in a similar concept and had the quality of being prestigious for the House in 2017 with the participation of many researchers who worked in different disciplines of science and art. The book was sent for the purpose of being included in the catalogue of well-known 17 different universities and libraries whose examples have been provided above. Furthermore, it is also included in sales catalogues of many companies that have a widespread marketing network like Kitapyurdu, D and R and similar companies. When this very first book was welcomed by a wide variety of readers, we, as the editors, had the excitement, enthusiasm, and encouragement to proceed with similar works.
The expenses like layout, cover and internal design, typesetting, publishing, volume, the fees for shipping to author(s) and university libraries domestic/abroad, and taxes for this second book that will be prepared will be covered by the authors, and the fee for each chapter that will be released in the book will be 250 Euros. The publishing of the book will be completed between 2018 March/April, and will be sent to all responsible authors as 1 (one) piece for each and/or as a set of books as free of charge. We look forward to your contributions, and wish you success at your work.
Kind regards, Editors
Prof. Hasan Arapgirlioğlu, Akdeniz University
Assist. Prof. Atilla Atik, Yildiz Technical University
Prof. Salim Hızıroğlu, Oklahoma State University
Prof. Robert L. Elliott, Tennessee State University
Assist. Prof. Elif Taşlıdere, Bezmi Alem Foundation University
The Link for Sending Your Work: researchesonscienceandart(at)gmail.com
PUBLISHING SCHEDULE
Special Text, latest delivery date: January 30, 2018.
Feedback date to the editors after evaluation: February 15, 2018.
Deadline for sending the full English text of the accepted chapters: March 02, 2018.
Date of publication and sending the book to the author(s): 01-15 April 2018.

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Ivertis Journals "Wishing You With Mighty Heart"

Invertis University, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, 243123, India, is spamming for a couple of subscription-fee journals.
Email
From: IJRE Invertis [mailto:ijre2011@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, December 30, 2017 3:23 AM
Subject: Happy New Year 2018
Dear All,
All of us at “Invertis Journal of Renewable Energy and Invertis Journal of Science and Technology” would like to wish you, your colleagues and family.
To End Something Old,
Will Start Something New,
Wishing You With Mighty Heart,
Though The Words Are Very Few!
Happy New Year 2018
Thanks and Regards
Editors
Invertis Journal of Renewable Energy,
Invertis Journal of Science and Technology.
Ph No- 011-42430358,9811193210.
Email -ijre2011@gmail.com, zh_zaidi@rediffmail.com
Sent with Mailtrack

Monday, December 25, 2017

Immense Pleasure from Open Access Text (OAT)

Open Access Text (OAT) seems to another collection of manuscripts from India. Why do I say that? 
⊗ 113 journals at www.oatext.com/journals with titles ranging from "Mouth and Teeth" to "Translational Brain Rhythmicity".
⊗ A known spammer (see http://www.scientificspam.net/?p=139) that takes "immense pleasure contact an eminent person" like me to publish in a radiology journal, even though I am neither an MD, a radiologist, or anything else connected with the field.
⊗ A lot of blather on the website, such as "OA Text galvanizes a community of scientists that collaboratively advances and communicates science and its power to ensure a sustainable future."
⊗ Journals publish trivial articles. E.g., Zięba-Palus J (2017) Forensic examinations of micro-traces. Forensic Sci Criminol 2, doi: 10.15761/FSC.1000113.
⊗ Email omitted an address for the journal, but it came from an Indian server.
⊗ The domain oatext.com is registered to Ranjith Donthi, 114A Billet Road, Romford, Essex RM6 5PR, UK, +44.7734963575, Ranjithdonthi@gmail.com. The email address is also connected to oatext.org, oatext.info, openaccesstext.info, openaccesstext.org, telanganareddysociety.com, telanganareddysociety.org, telanganareddyassociation.com, telanganareddyassociation.org.
⊗ The domain oatextjournals.com is registered to Journals Directory, Gachibowli, Hyderabad Telangana 500032 India, +91.7799886448, journals.directory@yahoo.com.
⊗ The domain oatext-news.com is registered to Camp RW, Gachibowli, Hyderabad Telangana 500089 Indica, +91.7799886448, camprw@yahoo.com.
Email
  • From: Mia Ashley [mailto:editor@oatext-news.net]
    Date: Thursday, December 7, 2017 2:29 AM
    Subject: Pediatric Radiology, Diagnostic Radiology - Radiology, and Diagnostic Imaging
    It is an immense pleasure to contact an eminent person like you. Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging Journal is an international peer-reviewed journal; it publishes high quality open access research articles with a special emphasis on Medical imaging, Radiotherapy, Musculoskeletal Radiology, Pediatric Radiology, Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Abdominal Radiology, Cardiovascular Radiology, Chest Radiology, Diagnostic Radiology, Surgical Radiology and spreads the knowledge to everyone across the globe. You can submit your article from any discipline related to Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging in our upcoming issue of the journal. You are welcome to contribute your article to radiology@oatextjournals.com on or before 15th December 2017. Anticipating your quick response. ...
    Regards,
    Mia Ashley
    Editorial Assistant, Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging
    You are receiving this email because of your relationship with the sender [← which is to say none]

    Note: The journal's editor-in-chief is said to be "Yi-Hwa Liu, Ph.D. Senior Research Scientist/Scholar in Cardiovascular Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, Associate Professor (Adjunct) of Biomedical Imaging and Radiological Sciences at National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, and Professor (Adjunct) of Biomedical Engineering at Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan, Taiwan."
  • From: Mia Lucas [editor@oatextjournals.info]
    Date: Wednesday, July 18, 2018, 9:11 am
    Subject: Waiver on publication fee | GMT
    Dear Researcher,
    Authors are cordially invited to submit papers for publication in Global Medicine and Therapeutics (GMT). We are requesting you to please give it a wider publicity by circulating it to Faculty member, Research scholars and encourage their active participation and submissions. Kindly submit your valuable research work by mailing us at editor.gmt@oatext.com on or before July 30th, 2018 or let us know your feasible time can avail 50% discount on the publication fee.
    Thanking you,
    Mia Lucas [← Has Mia changed her name, or are there multiple Mias?]
    Editorial Assistant

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Is Frontiers Media a Predatory Publisher?

Frontiers Media (frontiersin.org) is an open access publisher in Lausanne, Switzerland, founded by serious neuroscientists. I looked around to learn what people were saying about it after receiving a request to review a manuscript for Frontiers in Genetics. The associate editor who wrote me as well most of the large board of "chief editors" seem to be published researchers, but I do not know what to make of the journal's claim to have 5,689 editors. Zooming in on the field of "ELSI in Science and Genetics" yielded a list of 131 "associate editors." Frontiers notes the number of articles these editors have written; 27 had no publications of their own (or if they did, Frontiers neglected to mention them).

Naturally, Frontiers claims that all of its 59 journals covering more than 460 specialties conduct transparent and rigorous peer review. It also states that "We publish all papers that are scientifically correct." (Emphasis in webpage). This asservation is hardly transparent. What is a "scientifically correct" paper? One that reports true results? No journal can guarantee that. Does it mean that every article that meets some methodological criteria will be published? What about those that do not meet these criteria? How many of the 65,000 papers published in the profusion of journals are not only incorrect, but reflect poorly conceived or executed research?

Wikipedia lists various controversies about Frontiers articles and resignations of editors. Individuals have complained about the shallowness of the review process (e.g., 1, 2) and allegedly heavy-handed or unscrupulous tactics by Frontiers to shut down Beall's list of predatory journals (e.g., 3, 4). One Frontier editor wrote an interesting description of "How to create a top journal by accepting (almost) everything" (5). 

I do not like to label journals "predatory" on this blog, and some thoughtful, albeit anonymous, comments appear below in defense of Frontiers. Given the nonscientific polling and anecdotal reports that abound (6), however, it seems doubtful that publishing in these journals generally would be regarded as a coup.

Email

Frontiers in Genetics

  • From: Frontiers in Genetics [genetics@frontiersin.com]
    Sent: Monday, April 19, 2021 5:26 AM
    Subject: Upcoming editorial opportunity based on your research, Frequentist Methods for Statistical Inference
    Dear Dr. Kaye,
    A quick follow-up to my previous emails, offering you the opportunity to guest edit a new article collection with a leading Frontiers journal. Leading an article collection - or Research Topic - with us is a great opportunity to shine a spotlight on the research you care about. As a guest editor you would set the scope for the new collection, then invite other experts in your field to collaborate by joining you as co-editors, or by submitting their own research.
    If you’d like to find out more about what’s involved, please do get in touch. My team and I will be happy to discuss it further with you.
    Best regards,
    Antonella Tesoro,
    Journal Manager
    Frontiers in Genetics has published several Research Topics to date, such as: Genetics Research in Electronic Health Records Linked to DNA Biobanks, edited by Marylyn Ritchie, Mariza De Andrade and Helena Kuivaniemi.
    Impact Factor 3.258 ¦ CiteScore 2.7
    Lausanne | London | Seattle | Beijing
    Avenue du Tribunal-Fédéral 34, 1005 Lausanne Switzerland
    Office T +41 21 510 17 15
    Did we get this communication right? Please click here to give feedback on whether this email was relevant for you.
    Frontiers is committed to providing you with relevant updates in your field. If you do not want to receive any updates from Frontiers, you can unsubscribe by forwarding your request to support@frontiersin.org. If you wish to learn about how we protect personal data, you can read our Privacy Policy available on our website.
  • From: Frontiers in Genetics [genetics@frontiersin.com>]
    Sent: Monday, April 12, 2021 5:24 AM
    Subject: Upcoming editorial opportunity based on your research, Frequentist Methods for Statistical Inference
    Dear Dr. Kaye,
    I emailed you last week about the opportunity to guest edit with a leading Frontiers journal.
    Based on your article, Frequentist Methods for Statistical Inference [← which was not an article, but rather a chapter in a book, and which had almost nothing in particular to do with genetics], we would like to work with you to develop a new article collection with us, shining a light on your field of research.
    If you’d like to take up the opportunity, please reply to let us know. My team and I will be back in touch shortly to discuss it further with you and let you know what’s involved.
    Best regards,
    Antonella Tesoro,
    Journal Manager
    Frontiers in Genetics has published several Research Topics to date, such as: Genetics Research in Electronic Health Records Linked to DNA Biobanks, edited by Marylyn Ritchie, Mariza De Andrade and Helena Kuivaniemi.
    Impact Factor 3.258 ¦ CiteScore 2.7
    Lausanne | London | Seattle | Beijing
    Avenue du Tribunal-Fédéral 34, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
    Office T +41 21 510 17 15
    Did we get this communication right? Please click here to give feedback on whether this email was relevant for you. Frontiers is committed to providing you with relevant updates in your field.
    If you do not want to receive any updates from Frontiers, you can unsubscribe by forwarding your request to support@frontiersin.org. If you wish to learn about how we protect personal data, you can read our Privacy Policy available on our website.

Frontiers in Psychology

  • From: Marcelo Saad (Via FrontiersIn) [noreply@frontiersin.org]
    Date: Thu, Aug 26 at 12:38 PM
    Subject: Invitation to Review a Manuscript
    Dear Dr David H. Kaye ,
    I am writing to ask whether you would be able to review the manuscript "Development of an instrument to assess spirituality: reliability and validation of the Attitudes Related to Spirituality Scale (ARES)", by Camilla Casaletti Braghetta, Clarice Gorenstein, Yuan-Pang Wang, Camila Bertini Martins, Frederico Camelo Leão, Mario Peres, Giancarlo Lucchetti and Homero Vallada, submitted for consideration in Frontiers in Psychology, section Health Psychology.
    Please read below for details concerning the submission and inform us of your interest using the hyperlinks enclosed. In agreeing to review this manuscript, we trust that its subject matter falls within your area of expertise [← I am neither a psychologist nor an expert in developing scales] and that you are available to review the paper within 7 days. [← Are you kidding?]
    Before accepting this invitation, verify whether you have any potential conflicts of interest with the authors, including past collaborations or shared affiliation (see policy at [link deleted] ).
    Please note that should you participate in the review process and endorse publication of the paper, you are agreeing to the disclosure of your name on the published article. You may read below for more information. It is also important that you familiarize yourself with the Frontiers Collaborative Review Guidelines, accessible at ... . Briefly, the Frontiers review mandate is to evaluate the manuscript based on objective criteria, including the validity and rigor of the work.
    To ACCEPT this review invitation, please click on the link below. If you are not registered with Frontiers yet, you will be first asked to register. [link deleted]
    To DECLINE this review invitation, preventing further reminders, please click on the link below: [link deleted]
    Thank you for considering to review this manuscript.
    With best regards,
    Marcelo Saad
    Associate Editor, Frontiers in Psychology
    https://www.frontiersin.org/
    ***
    Frontiers Review Guidelines
    The Frontiers peer-review is a collaborative process with a focus on objective criteria, efficiency and transparency. A review questionnaire is provided in the online review forum to assist you in reviewing the manuscript.
    Reviewers identities are revealed at the end of the review process and you will be acknowledged for your work and contribution on the publication. Please note that you will remain anonymous throughout the entire review process. If irresolvable conflicts arise you may choose to withdraw from the review process and in such case you will remain anonymous. However, if the paper gets accepted for publication and no conflicts arose that led to your withdrawal, your contribution will be acknowledged on the publication.
    The Frontiers review process has unique features, including an interactive review stage, and a focus on objective criteria. To ensure an efficient review process please familiarize yourself with the Frontiers review guidelines: [link deleted]
    Reviewers are obliged to keep all manuscript files confidential and to delete all records after completing the review process. The review reports are also confidential and may only be shared with the authors and the handling editor of the manuscript in the review forum. Posting of the review report publicly is prohibited.
  • From: psychology.topics@frontiersin.com
    Dear Dr. Kaye,
    Given the prominence of your research in the field, I wonder if you would be interested in discussing the possibility of editing a collection of articles with Frontiers in Psychology. As one of the newest and most innovative open-access journals, we help researchers to bring together new developments in their field through Frontiers' Research Topics, which are online collections of peer reviewed articles, developed and managed by leading researchers. The editorial team and I would be happy to discuss potential themes, and provide you with additional information about the project. Please let me know if you have any questions
    With an Impact Factor of 2.089, Frontiers in Psychology is the largest and most cited multidisciplinary psychology journal in the world, led by Chief Editor Prof. Axel Cleeremans of the Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. We have published several article collections to date, such as: Towards an embodied science of intersubjectivity: Widening the scope of social understanding research, edited by Prof. Ezequiel Di Paolo and Prof. Hanne De Jaegher.
    If you would like to discuss this please let us know!
    Best regards,
    Kirsten Martin
    Research Topic Manager
  • From: Frontiers in Psychology [psychology.topics@frontiersin.com]
    Date: Fri Mar 30 2019 5:11 AM
    Subject: Call for Guest Editor - Frontiers in Psychology
    Dear Dr. Kaye,
    I am wondering if you received our earlier email (found below my signature)? I would love to discuss new developments in your field, and whether there would be an opportunity to create an editorial project around this (called Research Topics). In my first email I included links to our journal and examples of Research Topics.
    Please let me know if you would like to discuss this further. I would be happy to send you some more information, or we could schedule a phone call at a time that is convenient for you.
    Best regards,
    Kirsten Martin Research Topic Manager
    Frontiers | Editorial Office - Research Topic Team
    Avenue du Tribunal-Fédéral 34, 1005, Lausanne Vaud Switzerland Office T +41 21 510 17 15
    You have received this message because you have previously been in contact with Frontiers or because, due to your profile and expertise, it was thought likely that it would be of interest to you. ...
  • From: Frontiers in Psychology [psychology.topics@frontiersin.com]
    Date: Apr. 5, 2019 5:13 AM
    Subject: Call for Guest Editor - Frontiers in Psychology
    Dear Dr. Kaye,
    I am wondering if you received our earlier email?.
    I would love to discuss new developments in your field, and whether there would be an opportunity to create a special issue around this (called Research Topics).
    I would be happy to provide you with information on how to get started with this project.
    Best regards,
    Kirsten Martin
    Research Topic Manager
    Frontiers | Editorial Office - Research Topic Team
    Frontiers Avenue du Tribunal-Fédéral 34 1005, Lausanne Vaud Switzerland Office T +41 21 510 17 15 Meet the Frontiers Team Frontiers journals lead in citations in their fields and rank in the top Impact Factor percentiles. Read the full analysis here.

Frontiers in Sociology

  • From: Frontiers in Sociology [sociology.topics@frontiersin.com]
    Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 2020 4:20 AM
    Subject: Frontiers in Sociology invites you to guest edit
    Dear Dr. Kaye,
    While we all deal with the effects of COVID-19, making science open has never been more essential to global well-being. At Frontiers we’re still working to connect scientists and increase the visibility of their work. I noticed that you’ve collaborated with Prof. Susan Pope on the article "A comment on the PCAST report: Skip the "match"/"non-match" stage.". Prof. Susan Pope also led an editorial project with Frontiers, entitled "The Dialogue Between Forensic Scientists, Statisticians and Lawyers about Complex Scientific Issues for Court". Read more about this project here.
    I’m currently looking for guest editors who:
    • are working on exciting new areas that might benefit from an article collection
    • want to drive the direction of advancements in their field
    • want to collaborate with international peers across disciplines
    • want to make research available to anyone by publishing open access.
    Given your past collaboration and your own research activities I wonder whether you would be interested in discussing the possibilities of working with us on such a project.
    Would you have time next week to discuss this further by phone?
    Best Regards,
    Mirjam Eckert, PHD
    Publishing Director
    Frontiers in Sociology has published several Research Topics including Immigration in the Global Era: Migrants and the People and Laws at Origin and Destination edited by Guillermina Jasso and Moshe Semyonov.
    Frontiers
    www.frontiersin.org
    Avenue du Tribunal-Fédéral 34
    1005, Lausanne Vaud Switzerland
    Office T +41 21 510 17 15
  • From: Frontiers in Sociology [sociology.topics@frontiersin.com]
    Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2020 4:29 AM
    Subject: Frontiers in Sociology invites you to guest edit
    Dear Dr. Kaye,
    I emailed you previously about an opportunity to guest edit an article collection with Frontiers. Given your past collaborations and research activities I think this could be a suitable project for you. Please let me know if you would like to hear more.
    If you’re unable to be involved at this time, please feel free to suggest a time in the future when this might fit better with your schedule and commitments.
    I look forward to hearing from you.
    Best Regards,
    Mirjam Eckert, PHD
    Publishing Director
    Frontiers
    www.frontiersin.org
    Avenue du Tribunal-Fédéral 34
    1005, Lausanne Vaud Switzerland
    Office T +41 21 510 17 15
  • From: Frontiers in Sociology [sociology.topics@frontiersin.com]
    Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2020 4:27 AM
    Subject: Frontiers in Sociology invites you to guest edit
    Dear Dr. Kaye,
    I emailed you last week about the opportunity to guest edit an article collection with Frontiers. Given your past collaborations and research activities I think this could be a suitable project for you. Have you had a chance to consider this?
    If you have any questions, I’m happy to send you more information about what’s involved, or to discuss it further by phone. Would you be interested in setting up a call?
    I look forward to hearing from you.
    Best Regards,
    Mirjam Eckert, PHD
    Publishing Director
    Frontiers
    www.frontiersin.org
    Avenue du Tribunal-Fédéral 34
    1005, Lausanne Vaud Switzerland
    Office T +41 21 510 17 15