How do you choose the right journal? Some people might suggest this is an art rather than a science, only possible with years of publishing experience or a wide network of contacts of those at the top of a given field. Others might suggest that you can plan and execute a publication with near certainty, using data to proceed to a positive outcome. The truth, as with all … Continue reading Research? It’s a social enterprise
Accusations frozen in time: How Beall’s List still hurts publishers in 2026
A little-examined consequence of the predatory publishing phenomenon is the damage done to legitimate publishers that got swept up in it – not because they were truly predatory, but because they were listed alongside journals that were. Beall’s List, the well-intentioned and perhaps the most famous predatory publisher and journal list, has long been shuttered. … Continue reading Accusations frozen in time: How Beall’s List still hurts publishers in 2026
Out of time
This week, hundreds of librarians, publishers, and vendors have congregated in the UK city of Glasgow to attend the annual UK Serials Group (UKSG). A fixture on the scholarly communications events circuit for many years, there was a clear sense this year that things are under strain, and a once vibrant industry is going through … Continue reading Out of time
Finding your compass
When US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld uttered his now-famous speech about what we know and don’t know in the early 2000s, it is fair to say there was a good deal of mockery. Not only did it sound extremely odd, it also didn’t seem to make sense initially. What on earth are ‘known unknowns’ … Continue reading Finding your compass
Next-level decisions
After several years in development, Cabells launches its new Journalytics STEM product today, offering the same next-level journal data as its companion Academic and Medicine products to support the best possible decision-making across STEM subjects. It’s taken time to put together Journalytics STEM simply because there are a lot of journals to review, curate, and assess in this field, with well over 7,000 journals included across science, … Continue reading Next-level decisions
Who can you trust?
Think back, if you can, 25 years ago to January 2001, and what do you remember? To jog your memory, that month saw the inauguration of George W. Bush as U.S. President, the launch of iTunes from Apple, and the appointment of the England football team’s first foreign manager, Sven-Göran Eriksson. While you sit there thinking how old you feel, this will make you … Continue reading Who can you trust?
Ghosts in the machine
Breaching research integrity is often regarded as, at worst, a white-collar crime reserved for nerdy types who couldn’t quite cut it intellectually; at best, it’s not even regarded at all – it is simply invisible to most people as they go about their lives. However, this may be about to change with the release of a new documentary that may bring the problem … Continue reading Ghosts in the machine
Land of make believe
A Happy New Year to everyone, and if you can’t quite believe it is January already, then recent news on the impact of AI on scholarly communications is not going to help with that feeling of things not being quite real. Towards the end of 2025, reports started to emerge of 'imaginary journals.' We have … Continue reading Land of make believe
Could We Cope Without COPE?
This week is COPE's Publication Integrity Week 2025, with five days of online events and activities to highlight issues around publishing integrity. It is COPE’s (the Committee on Publication Ethics) attempt to ensure it addresses current concerns in the scholarly communications community, and each day focuses on a different theme. This year, COPE has identified … Continue reading Could We Cope Without COPE?
Is the Article *Really* Dead?
I was fortunate to attend the annual Charleston Conference last week, and in addition to the lovely weather and beautiful surroundings of South Carolina in early November, I was able to enjoy a vibrant and serious-minded event against a backdrop of unprecedented challenges. While there was an overall mood of deep concern for librarianship, there … Continue reading Is the Article *Really* Dead?