June 2026 marks the 10th anniversary in the UK of its tectonic vote to leave the European Union. The so-called Brexit debate consumed the country at the time, and has continued to factor in almost every major political change the UK has had in the last decade – right up to and including the resignation of Prime Minister … Continue reading Top five benefits of using TWO journal databases
Word up
To state the obvious, words matter – but sometimes the wrong words in the wrong place can matter even more than the right ones. In the recent Cabells white paper on how to use data for choosing the optimal journal for publication, it was clear that both understanding terms used on social media and then using those terms to promote research … Continue reading Word up
The end of the paper mill?
In his widely cited - and widely misunderstood - book The End of History and the Last Man, historian and author Francis Fukuyama was heavily criticized for saying that the West had ‘won’ and that there would be no meaningful conflicts to trouble the world with the fall of the Iron Curtain in the late 1980s. The following … Continue reading The end of the paper mill?
Reviewing the literature on predatory publishing
The simplest way to learn about predatory journals and their tricks of the trade is to look at the burgeoning number of articles on the topic. Since 2020, there have been over 2,000 research articles published that mention ‘predatory publishing,' with the rate increasing over time. Indeed, as you can see from the graph below, aside from the spike in … Continue reading Reviewing the literature on predatory publishing
What’s in a name?
Imagine you wake up one morning with a set of unusual symptoms. Nothing to worry about, you think, but you had better check online just to make sure. Once you scroll through a few plausible-sounding, non-serious possibilities, your eyes alight on an illness you have never heard of before. But it sounds serious – really serious. You click on the link … Continue reading What’s in a name?
Research? It’s a social enterprise
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
Hijack!
A question Cabells is often asked about the coverage of journals in its database products is, ‘How do you find out about them?’ This is not an easy question to answer, as there are so many reasons for a journal to come to our attention, for good or bad – editor recommendation, new launch, author … Continue reading Hijack!
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
Cabells launches white paper on optimizing journal decision-making at UKSG
BEAUMONT, TX: Cabells – a US-based information services company – has launched a white paper (available for download below) providing insights to researchers, librarians, and aligned professionals on how its Journalytics platform can optimize crucial decision-making. Working from prior research underlining the importance of decision-making when it comes to choosing the right journal for a … Continue reading Cabells launches white paper on optimizing journal decision-making at UKSG