The best predatorial journal come-ons

[San Joaquin]

Well, but maybe it's best to keep your "side gig" under a pseudonym?  :-)

[arcturus]

All these recent postings about NSF CAREER Awards has made me worry about my future in the field. Fortunately, I just received an invitation to publish in the American International Journal of Humanities and Social Science. Manuscripts are due Feb 4, 2021 and will be published on Feb 28, 2021, with acceptance within 7-10 days of submission. This looks like a great place to increase my publication rate quickly. Do you think it is a problem that my work is in the physical sciences? Do you think they will be able to find appropriate reviewers within the timescale stated? Or should I just switch fields? They list 37 fields and end the list with "and so on", so perhaps I could rustle up some words about something I read on the internet within the next week. Surely that would meet the "and so on" classification criterion.  Also, should I be worried that the editor's email address is [at] hotmail.com? I assume that I can ignore the big red warning at the top of the email that says "This message looks dangerous". After all, just because it is in my spam folder and gmail thinks it is an attempt to steal my personal information, I probably should not look past this precious invitation to share my (non-expert) knowledge of the humanities and social science with the world so quickly. Publish or perish, as they say.

[mamselle]

Thanks, arcturus, for reviving this thread.

I was wondering just the other day what happened to our submission on ice cream.

Probably on some editor's desk collecting frostcicles...

M.

[arcturus]

The options for rapid publication keep rolling in. Today I have been presented with the option of publishing in the International Journal of Business, Management and Commerce. Same date of publication (Feb 28, 2021), but I have a few extra days (until Feb 7) to get my manuscript together. Despite its name, the journal appears to accept papers in the fields of Business and Management; Banking and finance; Social science and Humanities. Each of these fields has examples followed by "and so on". Despite my lack of training in the field, perhaps I could draft a paper describing my experiences in staying at various hotels (hotel and tourism is listed under social science and humanities), highlighting the features I prefer (location, low price, and thick walls). However, my own experience is somewhat limited - I tend to stay at the same places in the cities that I visit regularly. Are there any potential co-authors on the fora that could contribute additional anecdotal data for this paper?

Title: Hotels around the world: can you hear your neighbors?

Abstract: The authors recount experiences at multiple hotels with a focus on the convenience of location, the price per night, and the privacy provided by thick, sound-proof, walls, or the lack thereof. Using this anecdotal evidence, the authors recommend that hotels prioritize guest privacy by retrofitting their buildings with proper sound proofing between rooms. Consideration is also given to the effects of age on such preferences, specifically noting the phenomenon known as "youth hostels", wherein privacy is specifically a lower priority relative to convenience and price.

[Hibush]

The options for rapid publication keep rolling in. Today I have been presented with the option of publishing in the International Journal of Business, Management and Commerce. Same date of publication (Feb 28, 2021), but I have a few extra days (until Feb 7) to get my manuscript together. Despite its name, the journal appears to accept papers in the fields of Business and Management; Banking and finance; Social science and Humanities. Each of these fields has examples followed by "and so on". Despite my lack of training in the field, perhaps I could draft a paper describing my experiences in staying at various hotels (hotel and tourism is listed under social science and humanities), highlighting the features I prefer (location, low price, and thick walls). However, my own experience is somewhat limited - I tend to stay at the same places in the cities that I visit regularly. Are there any potential co-authors on the fora that could contribute additional anecdotal data for this paper?

Title: Hotels around the world: can you hear your neighbors?

Abstract: The authors recount experiences at multiple hotels with a focus on the convenience of location, the price per night, and the privacy provided by thick, sound-proof, walls, or the lack thereof. Using this anecdotal evidence, the authors recommend that hotels prioritize guest privacy by retrofitting their buildings with proper sound proofing between rooms. Consideration is also given to the effects of age on such preferences, specifically noting the phenomenon known as "youth hostels", wherein privacy is specifically a lower priority relative to convenience and price.

The premise is great, and the topic right on for the journal. I bet it gets accepted! 

You may be pandering to the editors a more than necessary and not serving your own objectives enough when it comes to the title. Rather than the reader-friendly title, you might center the title on sound-transmission parameters of different hotel-wall media. One or two physics-jargon words will make the literature-analysis bots pick up on it and tie you to a broader range of physics scholarship.

You are getting offers from a better class of off-topic journals than I am. The journal titles seem more autogenerated, along the lines of Journal of Business, Nanobiosensors and Osteopathy. It's hard to make out the scope (wide  or narrow) and whether the "and" means a logical AND or a logical XOR.

[Scout]

Glad to see this thread still chugging alonb

[arcturus]

I appear to have moved up in the hierarchy. I just received a request to review one of these papers. It is formally addressed (name and physical address) and starts with "In view of your work in the field, your name has been recommended, as a potential reviewer, for the manuscript entitled...".  Sadly, the title (and abstract) indicate that this paper is not in my field (not even a related science).  The physical (and email) address is for a place I worked at more than 20 years ago. Fortunately for the authors, they state "Please also note that to expedite the review, this request has been sent to several qualified researchers and once we get the first three commitments to review, we will not entertain any further acceptances." So I guess that means that I need not "entertain" the pleasure of reviewing this paper at this time.

[Puget]

I've seen plenty of hilariously broad and weird combinations of fields in the spam journals, but this one takes the cake!

The International Journal of Research -GRANTHAALAYAH is peer reviewed monthly international multidisciplinary journal of research, IJRG, monthly peer-reviewed, online, open-access (OA), journal supported by an editorial board consisting of experts in all disciplines from different countries.

International Journal of Research –GRANTHAALAYAH is an open access journal that provides monthly publication of articles in all areas of Science, Engineering, Management, Social, Humanity, Visual Art, Performing Art etc. It is an international refereed e-journal as well as print journal. IJRG have the aim to propagate innovative research and eminence in knowledge. IJRG Journal has become a prominent contributor for the research communities and socie

[the_geneticist]

I got this one today twice!  I guess that means they are really, really excited to ask me to "write/submit an article".

cDear Dr. [Geneticist],

Greetings and I hope you are doing well.

Knowing your expertise in the field of Surgery and Clinical Reports, we would be privileged if you can write/submit an article for publication in Journal of Surgery and Clinical Reports.

The aim of the journal is to provide research updates on abdominal, cancer, vascular, head and neck, breast, colorectal, and other forms of surgery, etc.

Manuscript submission: Online submission system or you can submit your valuable work as an attachment to this mail.

If you have any difficulty in submission feels free to ask.

We look forward to hearing from you.

With regards,
Elieth Thulin
Journal of Surgery and Clinical Reports
Editorial office | Wright Academia
17888 67th Court North
Loxahatchee, FL
United States of America

Looks like a real journal, but that person is not an editor.  Weird.

[sinenomine]

I got this one today twice!  I guess that means they are really, really excited to ask me to "write/submit an article".

cDear Dr. [Geneticist],

Greetings and I hope you are doing well.

Knowing your expertise in the field of Surgery and Clinical Reports, we would be privileged if you can write/submit an article for publication in Journal of Surgery and Clinical Reports.

The aim of the journal is to provide research updates on abdominal, cancer, vascular, head and neck, breast, colorectal, and other forms of surgery, etc.

Manuscript submission: Online submission system or you can submit your valuable work as an attachment to this mail.

If you have any difficulty in submission feels free to ask.

We look forward to hearing from you.

With regards,
Elieth Thulin
Journal of Surgery and Clinical Reports
Editorial office | Wright Academia
17888 67th Court North
Loxahatchee, FL
United States of America

Looks like a real journal, but that person is not an editor.  Weird.

A Google map search of that address is illuminating...

[Hibush]

A Google map search of that address is illuminating...

Perhaps this publishing house is one of the many businesses that have used the Covid WFH experience to find that their physical plant is no longer needed. Not having paper to handle really makes a physical presence an unaffordable legacy expense.

But they should still invest in a mailbox in a building that looks suitably corporate in Google maps.

[secundem_artem]

I got this one today.  The spelling and grammar are correct and there is a website linked with information about the actual conference.  If this is a predatory come-on, it's a good one.  Doing a little googling I found a blog post with a few dozen examples of identical emails.  Looks like Dr. Osman has been at this for a few months.  The relationship between the "expert's" paper and the theme for the conference look a bit sketchy, as it does in the message I got.  But it looks like these scam artists are no longer using Google Translate to write their messages. 

Dear Dr. Artem,

I am hoping we can have a discussion about your Clog Dancing work. Your paper from a while ago was particularly interesting for me: "Self-assessment tool for screening clog dancers at risk for bunions".

Square Dancing is one of the core sessions I am planning for The European Society of Medicine's annual congress this November. I was thinking that your work would fit well into the session and that you might consider coming to Vienna to give a talk. Alternatively it could be an online presentation.


Can we discuss this idea?


Best Regards,

M. Osman, M.D.
European Society of Medicine
ESMED Congress 2021

I'd love a free trip to Vienna, but somehow, I don't think this will be it.

[science.expat]

I'd be suspicious but it does seem well done. Much better than this one:

Dear Researcher,
Hope you are doing well.

We are in shortfall of one article for successful release of Volume 2 Issue 3.

Is it possible for you to support us with your 2-page opinion or mini review of this issue?

We are confident that you are always will be there to support us.

We desire to receive your manuscript by the mid of April.

Await your Optimistic Response.

Olivia Winstead
JOJ Sciences
ISSN:2641-8290

[Hibush]

We are confident that you are always will be there to support us.

We desire to receive your manuscript by the mid of April.

Await your Optimistic Response.

Olivia Winstead

Something about that phrasing makes me think Ms. Winstead did not attend one of the premier British grammar schools, even though her name would fit right in.

[mamselle]

I got this one today.  The spelling and grammar are correct and there is a website linked with information about the actual conference.  If this is a predatory come-on, it's a good one.  Doing a little googling I found a blog post with a few dozen examples of identical emails.  Looks like Dr. Osman has been at this for a few months.  The relationship between the "expert's" paper and the theme for the conference look a bit sketchy, as it does in the message I got.  But it looks like these scam artists are no longer using Google Translate to write their messages. 

Dear Dr. Artem,

I am hoping we can have a discussion about your Clog Dancing work. Your paper from a while ago was particularly interesting for me: "Self-assessment tool for screening clog dancers at risk for bunions".

Square Dancing is one of the core sessions I am planning for The European Society of Medicine's annual congress this November. I was thinking that your work would fit well into the session and that you might consider coming to Vienna to give a talk. Alternatively it could be an online presentation.


Can we discuss this idea?


Best Regards,

M. Osman, M.D.
European Society of Medicine
ESMED Congress 2021

I'd love a free trip to Vienna, but somehow, I don't think this will be it.

Given the fact that you can't do Square Dance easily in the flapped, metal-tipped shoes one clogs in, the background understanding of the field is discouraging....

Or, oh...was this a basketweaving stand-in?

Apologies, if so!

M.