{"652178":{"#nid":"652178","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Public Policy Chair Co-Authors \u2018Nature\u2019 Commentary on Predatory Journal Publishers","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMost scholarly journals are credible outlets for important academic work. A few, however, subvert the rigor and precision demanded of researchers with shoddy practices or, sometimes, even outright fraud.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a new \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-021-02906-8\u0022\u003Ecommentary\u003C\/a\u003E published Oct. 26, 2021, in the journal \u003Cem\u003ENature, \u003C\/em\u003Ea team of researchers including Cassidy R. Sugimoto of the School of Public Policy detail its work creating a database of publishers not indexed by major bibliographic databases, such as Web of Science or Scopus, and analyzing the work of those publishers for questionable practices.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe authors found what they describe as new questionable conduct by so-called \u0026ldquo;predatory publishers,\u0026rdquo; despite a 2018 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/enforcement\/cases-proceedings\/152-3113\/federal-trade-commission-v-omics-group-inc\u0022\u003Eruling\u003C\/a\u003E in a case brought by the Federal Trade Commission against an India-based journal publisher for deceptive business practices. They found that some publishers have turned to rebranding old, questionable content or reappropriating legitimate articles previously published in other journals, without the authors\u0026rsquo; consent.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Predatory publishers take publication fees without performing advertised services, such as archiving, indexing, or quality control,\u0026rdquo; the researchers wrote. \u0026ldquo;They often use outright deception, such as fake editorial boards or impact factors, to appear legitimate.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESuch practices can fool well-meaning academics, especially newer researchers eager to establish a publication record, and flood the web with false articles that can deceive students and practitioners seeking information, said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/2815f752-35cb-5607-a294-bc3ad6645390\u0022\u003ESugimoto\u003C\/a\u003E, the Tom and Marie Patton Chair in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/spp.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESchool of Public Policy\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It is essential that we find ways to identify and discourage predatory practices while supporting emerging journals who often provide valuable outlets for publication for those from under-resourced countries and institutions,\u0026rdquo; Sugimoto said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to Sugimoto, the article was written by Kyle Siler, Vincent Larivi\u0026egrave;re, and Philippe Vincent-Lamarre of the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Montreal.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThey\u003Cem\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003Edescribe their database, called \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/lacunadb.io\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ELacuna\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E, \u003C\/em\u003Eas \u0026ldquo;one strand of a broader strategy\u0026rdquo; to reduce the influence of predatory publishers. Other policy proposals they suggest include:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EMandate more transparent peer-review processes to combat fake or low-quality peer review practices.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EEncourage universities, funders, and libraries to demand adherence to transparency rules as a prerequisite for purchases.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EFind ways to support emerging publishers seeking to expand access to high-quality publishing options for disadvantaged scholars and institutions.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EReduce the emphasis on quantity over quality in university hiring, tenure, and retention practices.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESugimoto said it is important that changes are systemic, to avoid further burdening academic researchers who are already under significant pressure to publish, teach, and take on administrative responsibilities.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The solution to this problem is really with funders and institutions, who can help deprive these questionable journals of the profit they need to flourish,\u0026rdquo; Sugimoto said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe commentary, \u0026ldquo;Predatory Publishers\u0026rsquo; Latest Scam: Bootlegged and Rebranded Papers,\u0026rdquo; is available at \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-021-02906-8\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-021-02906-8\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe School of Public Policy is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn the commentary, Sugimoto and her colleagues suggest ways to reduce the influence of predatory publishers, which can fool researchers and flood the web with false\u0026nbsp;or low-quality research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"In the commentary, Sugimoto and her colleagues suggest ways to reduce the influence of predatory publishers, which can fool researchers and flood the web with false\u00a0or low-quality research."}],"uid":"34600","created_gmt":"2021-10-28 13:20:55","changed_gmt":"2021-10-28 14:10:22","author":"mpearson34","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-10-28T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-10-28T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"650403":{"id":"650403","type":"image","title":"Cassidy Sugimoto","body":null,"created":"1630593983","gmt_created":"2021-09-02 14:46:23","changed":"1630593983","gmt_changed":"2021-09-02 14:46:23","alt":"","file":{"fid":"246831","name":"Sugimoto169.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Sugimoto169_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Sugimoto169_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":347220,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Sugimoto169_0.jpg?itok=GEiBM0Ef"}}},"media_ids":["650403"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1289","name":"School of Public Policy"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMichael Pearson\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nmichael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}