From: Jan Velterop <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2012 22:06:07 +0000

Isn't the emergence of all these new journals more like a Cambrian
Explosion, precipitated by a fundamental change in the environment?
Evolution will take care of it. The fittest for purpose will survive.
The others will disappear.

Jan Velterop

On 9 Mar 2012, at 19:22, LIBLICENSE wrote:

> From: Ina Smith <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2012 22:52:35 +0200
>
> Dear all
>
> This matter came to our attention as well when one of your researchers
> approached us for funding from our OA fund to publish in one of Mr
> Beall's so-called predatory journals. I was in contact with DOAJ (the
> journal in question was also listed there). According to DOAJ they
> have their own set of criteria to include journal titles, and our
> University regard DOAJ as the most authoritative list out there.
>
> The Bealls list unfortunately does not include real evidence. There
> are more lists on predatory author-pays-publishers but they have
> better evidence than Beall.
>
> According to DOAJ it did occur previously that they had to remove all
> journals from a publisher after evidence of fraud.
>
> We have - in order to solve the request we had - started to compile
> some criteria against which we measure the validity of an OA journal.
> You are welcome to add/use/comment.
>
> I. Mandatory
>
> -          The journal must have a proper web page and URL with the
> following info e.g. Contact details, Editorial Team, Editorial Board,
> Advisory Board, Scope and Focus, Peer Review Process (must be an
> exhaustive peer review process), Publication Frequency, Open Access
> Policy, Author Guidelines, About the Publisher, Previously published
> issues (Archive) , Copyright policy (under the Creative Commons
> Licensing policies
>
> -          International editorial board
>
> -          Valid online ISSN registered with the ISSN International
> Centre (France)
>
> -          Members of CrossRef with doi’s assigned to individual articles
>
> -          Journal must have established a history of responsible
> reporting (not always possible with “new” OA journals)
>
> -          The journal must contain good quality articles detailing
> well performed research
>
> II. Recommended
>
> -          Listed on DOAJ (not all OA journals are listed on DOAJ
> immediately, and there might be a slight time delay)
>
> -          Publisher must be registered with OASPA
>
> -          OA Policy of publisher must be available via SHERPA/RoMEO
>
> -          Listed on Wikipedia as an academic journal
>
> -          Digital preservation policy in place
>
> -          Journal title must be listed with one of the following:
> International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS)
> Science Citation Index
> Social Sciences Citation Index
> Arts and Humanities Citation Index
>
> -          Journal impact factor assigned to the journal - Journal
> Citation Reports - ISI (for impact factors)
>
> -          Journal ranking is recommended - SCImago Journal
> Ranking (Scopus)
>
> Kind regards
> Ina Smith (Stellenbosch University, South Africa)
> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
> URL: http://library.sun.ac.za
>
> ________________________________________
> From: Jim O'Donnell <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2012 07:39:36 -0500
>
> Yesterday's Chronicle of Higher Education has a long piece on 'predatory
> OA journals', with a focus on the work of a Colorado librarian who
> monitors the business.
>
> Do list readers think this is a significant problem? A growing problem?
>
> http://chronicle.com/article/Predatory-Online-Journals/131047/?key=HD10d1VhNHdJbCsyZTgRMj4EOyFoZk0hYn9JPS8pbl9cEQ%3D%3D
>
> Extract:
>
> The practice of charging authors to have their work published is not
> inherently problematic, said Jeffrey Beall, a librarian at the
> University of Colorado at Denver, who tracks open-access publishers­
> that operate on an author-pays model.
>
> "There is nothing wrong with the model itself," Mr. Beall said, citing
> author-pays publishers he considers to be legitimate, like the Public
> Library of Science (PLoS). But, he said, because the author-pays
> system features an inherent conflict of interest—publishers make more
> money if they accept more articles—it is ripe for abuse.
>
> Such abuse is becoming more prevalent, Mr. Beall said. On his blog
> Scholarly Open Access, he keeps a running list of what he calls
> "predatory" open-access publishers. Mr. Beall said he uncovers one new
> predatory journal or publishing company about every week, and his list
> now totals more than 50 publishers and individual journals.
>
> Mr. Beall defines a "predatory" publisher as one whose main goal is to
> generate profits rather than promote academic scholarship. Such
> publishers, he said, "add little value to scholarship, pay little
> attention to digital preservation, and operate using fly-by-night,
> unsustainable business models."
>
> Jim O'Donnell
> Georgetown U.