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.