FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BEAUMONT, TX: Cabells – a US-based information services company – now includes over 20,000 journals in its Predatory Reports database, with the unique resource growing by over 300% since its launch in 2017. After hitting the 10,000 mark in 2019 and 15,000 in 2021, a recent upgrade in the technology governing the … Continue reading Cabells’ Predatory Reports database hits 20,000 deceptive journals
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
The changing face of research impact
Are mainstream journals publishing research with a greater focus on impact? Based on recently published research on top-ranked business journals, the answer is a cautious 'yes.' Below is a summary of an article co-authored by, among others, Cabells’ Simon Linacre and the new Head of PRME, Dr. David Steingard. From "Revolutionizing societal impact in business … Continue reading The changing face of research impact
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
Book Review: Introduction to Research Ethics and Academic Integrity, by Amani Khalil Abu-Shaheen, Muaawia Ahmed Hamza, and Sumayyia Marar (eds.)
If there is a common thread to any article or commentary on the state of research integrity and publishing ethics among the global scholarly community, it is usually that there is a need for more education. If only PhD students had better teaching on research integrity issues, and early career scholars more formal instruction on … Continue reading Book Review: Introduction to Research Ethics and Academic Integrity, by Amani Khalil Abu-Shaheen, Muaawia Ahmed Hamza, and Sumayyia Marar (eds.)
Anatomy of a Predatory Journal Email (Part 1)
I once attended a financial crime research conference and, at the gala dinner, found myself sitting next to the lead investigator in cybercrime from Nigeria. It was fascinating to hear some of the stories he had to share, including instances of tracking down the people who sent those seemingly now extinct emails purporting to be … Continue reading Anatomy of a Predatory Journal Email (Part 1)
Has Academia Squandered the Chance to Make Real Impact?
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have come in for a lot of criticism since they were adopted in 2015. Following on from the Millennium Goals, they were an attempt by the United Nations to offer guidance and purpose to researchers seeking to improve society through their work. Some people objected from the start that … Continue reading Has Academia Squandered the Chance to Make Real Impact?
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?
What Does ‘Beta’ Even Mean?
For those of us who have been in scholarly communications for a number of years, one of the most noticeable shifts in the industry has been the use of language and how it has morphed from being almost historical in nature to being at the cutting edge of the ‘tech bro’ vernacular. These days in … Continue reading What Does ‘Beta’ Even Mean?