According to the fraudulent ‘journal’ American Journal of Biomedical Science & Research, published by Biomed Research and Technology, the answer is yes on both counts. Thanks to a tip from a subscriber—a librarian who, along with several colleagues, received an email calling for editorial board members for this publication—our Journal Blacklist team initiated an investigation and lo and behold, among the ‘Honorable Editors’ on the journal’s Editorial Committee is one Yosemite Sam, of Yale University:
You can probably guess which of our Blacklist criteria the presence of Bugs Bunny’s archenemy (with all due respect to Elmer Fudd) violates (hint: it’s the one that expects editors to be living…or actually exist). This is of course not the only violation for American Journal of Biomedical Science & Research, there were several other doozies such as:
- Emails from journals received by researchers who are clearly not in the field(s) the journal covers
- Scholars included on the editorial board without their knowledge or permission (not Yosemite Sam, though this would apply to him too)
- Promise of rapid publication and/or unusually quick peer review (less than four weeks)
- No policies for digital preservation
- The same article appears in more than one journal
Unfortunately, not all predatory journals include cartoon characters on their editorial board, making them easy to spot if you know where to look. And, without a doubt, none are a laughing matter. We’ll continue to keep on top of the different methods of deceit used by predatory publishers, closely investigate suspected journals, and report on those that prove to be fraudulent. We’ll also be sure to pass along any that give us a chuckle along the way.