From: "Ginther, Clara ([log in to unmask])" <
[log in to unmask]>
Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2018 10:24:04 +0000

To avoid plagiarism, the list I provided has been compiled mostly by a
colleague of mine, which I updated. There is something akin to
an Office for Scholarly Communications at the University Library Graz,
called Publishing Services. My colleague and I have been working on the
matter of predatory publishing and providing services to our academic staff
for more than a year.

The journalists analysed about 175.00 articles in predatory journals and
submitted 10 papers with dubious findings, e.g. bees wax as a potential
cure for cancer for publication, I think all of which were accepted. In
German media the results of the investigation was presented as a scandal.
The focus in Germany was on the system of academia and its publishing
practices. The German media provided information about predatory
publishing, but also went far beyond that, addressing issues such as the
reputation of universities, research institutions and scholars, naming
institutions and the number of scholars that have published in predatory
journals, scholarly publishing and its pitfalls, publish or perish and the
pressure on scholars today... Ideas such as a German nation-wide "quality
badge" for academic journals were proposed.

The matter has a different urgency in many European countries as the
universities are funded by tax payers money. Also many research
institutions are at least in part funded by tax payers money. Research
output is therefore regarded by many as a public good. Bad practices are a
public matter.

I have never seen a media campaign on such a scale on core practices of
scholarship. There has been the occasional plagiarism scandal, forcing one
or the other politician to resign, but nothing like this. In regard to the
German angle, it is a call to scholars, academic institutions and political
institutions alike to rethink and critically discuss practices that are on
the verge of becoming pervasive. It is also about safeguarding the
reputation of academia.

Clara Ginther

------------------------------

From: "Jim O'Donnell" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2018 19:35:31 -0700

With great thanks to Clara Ginther for collecting this excellent list
of the appearances in German media.  The original article in the
Indian Express indicated that The New Yorker in the U.S. is also
participating in the journalistic project, but I've seen nothing there
yet.  So far as I can tell, as well, the Indian Express original
article did much the best job of cataloging specific publishers,
describing their scale and practices, and giving the publishers an
opportunity to voice their own view of their work.  Am I missing
something in the German articles?  I'd welcome a pointer if so.

Jim O'Donnell
ASU

On Thu, Jul 26, 2018 at 7:10 PM, LIBLICENSE <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> From: "Ginther, Clara ([log in to unmask])"
> <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2018 08:22:16 +0000
>
> German and Austrian media already broadcasted and published most of their
> findings last week. Even if one is not fluent in German, it is worth
finding
> someone to translate. The University Library Graz has been active in
> educating scholars for more than a year. Staff of this library were chosen
> by one German broadcaster and one Austrian weekly magazine as experts. It
> was a great opportunity to show the public that there is expertise on this
> matter at academic libraries.
>
> Clara Ginther
>
> Here is a selection:
>
> - Deutschlandfunk
>
> o   „Katastrophe für die Wissenschaft“:
>
> o https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/informatiker-klaus-to
chtermann-ueber-fake-science.1008.de.html?dram:article_id=423280
>
> o   „Die Anziehungskraft der Fake Journals“:
> https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/fake-science-die-anziehungskr
aft-der-wissenschaftlichen.1773.de.html?dram:article_id=423281
>
> o   „Wissenschaftler in den Fängen von Raubverlegern“:
> https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/scheinkonferenz-wissenschaftl
er-in-den-faengen-von.1773.de.html?dram:article_id=423268
>
> o  „ Problem Pseudojournale "nicht wirklich lösbar“  :
> https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/fake-science-problem-pseudojo
urnale-nicht-wirklich-loesbar.676.de.html?dram:article_id=423465
>
> - ORF, „Hunderttausende unseriöse Studien“:
> https://science.orf.at/stories/2925360
>
> -  Standard, „Tausende Forscher publizieren in Pseudo-Journalen“:
> https://derstandard.at/2000083778590/Tausende-Wissenschaftle
r-veroeffentlichen-in-Pseudo-Fachzeitschriften
>
> -  Süddeutsche, „Forscher müssen ständig publizieren – das schadet der
> Wissenschaft“:
> https://www.sueddeutsche.de/wissen/forschungspolitik-wir-bra
uchen-ein-guetesiegel-fuer-wissenschaftsjournale-1.4061246
>
> - NDR: Dossier „Fake Science – die Lügenmacher“:
> https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/investigation/Dossier-Fake-
Science-Die-Luegenmacher,fakesciencedossier100.html,
> Inhalte:
>
> -  „Forscher täuschen bei Veröffentlichungen“:
> https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/niedersachsen/Forscher-
taeuschen-ueber-Jahre-bei-Veroeffentlichungen,wissenschaftsskandal100.html
>
> - Fake Science – Fälle auch in Hamburg“:
> https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/hamburg/Fake-Science-Faelle-
auch-in-Hamburg,fakescience184.html
>
> - „Warum Forscher auf unseriösen Wegen publizieren“:
> https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/niedersachsen/Der-grosse-
Wissenschafts-Schwindel,wissenschaftsskandal102.html
>
> -  „So einfach wurden wir Wissenschaftler“:
> https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/Experiment-NDR-Autoren-
publizieren-Fake-Science,unihimmelpforten100.html
>
> - 6-part podcast of the NDR: https://www.ndr.de/info/podcast4406.html
>
> - Tagesschau, „Wissenschaft auf Abwegen“:
> https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/fakescience-101.html
>
> - Bayrischer Rundfunk, „Pseudo-Verlage“:
> https://www.br.de/nachrichten/pseudo-verlage-eine-bedrohung-
fuer-die-wissenschaft-100.html
>
> -        MDR, „Fake-Journale werden für Wissenschaft zum Problem“:
> https://www.mdr.de/nachrichten/vermischtes/fake-science-
wissenschaftler-zweifelhafte-verlage-100.html
>
> -        ARD, „Fake Science – Die Lügenmacher“:
> https://www.daserste.de/information/reportage-dokumentation/
dokus/exclusiv-im-ersten-fake-science-die-luegenmacher-102.html
>
> -        Radio Bremen, „Bremer Wissenschaftler im Netz von
Scheinverlegern“:
> https://www.butenunbinnen.de/nachrichten/wissen/fake-science
-uni-bremen-100.html
>
>
> From: LibLicense-L Discussion Forum <[log in to unmask]> On
> Behalf Of LIBLICENSE
> Sent: Mittwoch, 25. Juli 2018 22:02
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Predatory journals and the Indian Express
>
> From: Rick Anderson <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2018 18:23:33 +0000
>
> Here’s what I found interesting, from the first entry in the series:
>
> “The Indian Express investigation is part a global project involving 60
> reporters led by German broadcasters NDR and WDR, and Suddeutsche Zeitung,
> with 18 partners, including Le Monde and The New Yorker.”
>
> So this should get interesting.
>
> ---
>
> Rick Anderson
> Assoc. Dean for Collections & Scholarly Communication
> Marriott Library, University of Utah
> Desk: (801) 587-9989
> Cell: (801) 721-1687
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
> From: "Jim O'Donnell" <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2018 14:26:38 -0700
>
> The Indian Express newspaper had an excellent article a few days ago
(posted
> here by Ann Snoeyenbos of JHU) on their investigations into the state of
> predatory publishing in India (that article:
> https://indianexpress.com/article/india/inside-indias-fake-
research-paper-shops-pay-publish-profit-5265402/).
> This was part of what they reported as an ongoing project involving
> journalists in numerous countries, notably Germany, France, and the US.
> I've not seen reports from the other countries (to be anticipated in
> Suddeutsche Zeitung, Le Monde, and the New Yorker, inter alia), but the
> original article has now had response from the Minister of Human Resource
> Development in the Indian parliament:
>
> https://indianexpress.com/article/india/govt-responds-to-
express-series-will-end-menace-of-predatory-journals-5272455/
>
> Jim O'Donnell
>
> ASU